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ResourceCycle possesses multiple self-developed core technologies, leading the industry in chemical waste plastic recycling
Relying on strong scientific research background to establish industry-leading position
Co-building joint research center with Zhejiang University Yangtze River Delta Smart Oasis Innovation Center
Goal to build provincial/key laboratory, focusing on key green recycling new materials technology
First domestic DMT production project based on self-developed technology
Breaking foreign technological monopoly, achieving autonomous control
ResourceCycle's self-developed chemical manufacturing technology platform, utilizing unique methanolysis process to achieve efficient, high-quality production of DMT (Dimethyl Terephthalate) and Ethylene Glycol (EG). DMT product purity reaches ≥99.9%, meeting polyester grade standards.
Multiple polyester-derived feedstocks supported.
ResourceCycle's chemical recycling technology has significant competitive advantages over traditional physical and biological recycling in multiple key dimensions
| Comparison Dimension | Chemical Recycling | Physical Recycling | Biological Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Purity | High | Medium | Medium |
| Sustainability Value | High | Medium | High |
| Applicable Scope | Wide | Limited | Limited |
| Recycling Cycles | Unlimited | Limited (3-4 times) | Limited |
| Production Efficiency | High | Medium | Low |
| Energy Consumption | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Investment Cost | High | Medium | High |
ResourceCycle's chemical recycling technology excels in product purity and sustainable value, achieving unlimited plastic recycling with wide applicability and high production efficiency — the mainstream direction for future plastic recycling.
From laboratory breakthroughs in core technology to the successful commissioning of thousand-ton production lines, ResourceCycle has always been driven by innovation.
Completed development and validation of core catalyst system
Successful validation of hundred-kg pilot line products
Thousand-ton production line achieved mass production
Polyester chain segments depolymerise into virgin-equivalent Dimethyl Terephthalate (DMT) + Ethylene Glycol (EG) under excess methanol and a binary catalyst.
Each PET repeat unit consumes 2 mol methanol → 1 mol DMT + 1 mol EG. Stoichiometric M/PET = 2; in practice 6-10× molar excess of methanol drives equilibrium and reduces melt viscosity.
At 160 °C with Zn-Mn catalyst, PET depolymerisation half-life t½ ≈ 18 min. Full conversion (≥98%) takes 90-120 min. α ≈ 0.85, β ≈ 1.0 — consistent with coordination-activated transesterification mechanism.
A proprietary binary catalyst delivers high selectivity, high TON and full recovery at low T / atmospheric P — avoiding the product discolouration and metal residue typical of Ti / Sb systems.
| Metric | Zn-Mn system | Traditional Sb₂O₃ | Ti(OBu)₄ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | Zn(OAc)₂ + Mn(OAc)₂ + chelating ligand | Sb₂O₃ | Ti(OBu)₄ |
| Loading | 0.3–0.5 wt% (vs PET) | 0.05–0.1 wt% | 0.02–0.05 wt% |
| Reaction temperature | 155–170 °C | 230–280 °C | 180–220 °C |
| Pressure | 0.1–0.3 MPa | 0.3–0.5 MPa | Atmospheric |
| Conversion | ≥98% | 92-95% | 90-93% |
| DMT selectivity | ≥99.2% | 94-96% | 92-95% |
| Product color (APHA) | ≤5 | 15-25 | 8-15 |
| Catalyst recovery | ≥99.5% (chelating resin) | Not recoverable / incinerated | Not recoverable |
| TON (turnover number) | ≥4,500 | ~1,200 | ~2,000 |
| Lifetime (continuous) | ≥6,000 h | ≤2,000 h | ≤3,000 h |
| Residual metal in product | ≤0.3 ppm Zn | ≤80 ppm Sb | ≤30 ppm Ti |
Catalyst recovery: after methanol distillation, residual liquor is passed through a proprietary chelating resin bed (PolyCh-Z-201) that adsorbs Zn²⁺ / Mn²⁺ at ≥99.5% recovery; the adsorbent regenerates every 30 batches. The closed loop eliminates heavy-metal emission and product metal residue — certified under ISO 14001.
Five-unit modular skid train assembled on site in 14 days. All critical reaction / distillation components built to GB/T 150 + ASME VIII dual code; materials qualified for 200 °C methanol service.
Equipment: Shredder → rotary drier → vibrating screen → feed screw
MOC: 304 SS + engineering plastic lining
Handles bottle flake, trim, short fiber. Removes PVC / PE / PA contaminants ≥99.5%; final moisture ≤0.3%.
Equipment: 3 × 5 m³ stirred-tank reactor train (in series) + internal coil heat exchanger + ATEX motor
MOC: 316L SS (methanol-resistant + chloride-tolerant)
PLC ±1 °C T-control, 80-120 rpm agitation, 90-120 min residence. Emergency cooling + N₂ blanketing built in.
Equipment: 4-stage tray distillation column (12 m × DN 800) + reboiler + condenser
MOC: Column 304L · trays 316L · condenser Ti
Recovered methanol (≥99.5%) recycles to reactor; EG by-product purity ≥99.9%, color ≤5 APHA. Top column equipped with bypass safety valve + flame arrestor.
Equipment: Cooling crystalliser (jacketed + scraper) → centrifuge (GKH-1250) → drying bed
MOC: 316L food-grade polish (Ra ≤ 0.4 μm)
Gradient cooling 110→55 °C. DMT crystal purity ≥99.9%, D₅₀ 250-400 μm. Mother liquor recycled to reactor for re-depolymerisation.
Equipment: Auto packaging line (25 kg / 500 kg / 1 t) + N₂ station + DCS control room
MOC: Carbon steel + ATEX electrical
In-line NIR for color / moisture; auto-labeling + QR-code batch traceability. DCS integrates with customer SCADA / ERP.
Each DMT / EG batch ships with a full COA covering 9 critical + 3 extended parameters — purity, color, acid value, moisture, residual metals, thermal stability — under ISO 9001 + ISO 17025.
| Parameter | Method / Standard | Instrument | Spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity | GC-FID, GB/T 12717 | Agilent 7890B | ≥99.9% |
| Color (APHA) | ASTM D1209 | HACH DR6000 | ≤5 |
| Acid value | GB/T 12009 (titration) | Metrohm 905 Titrando | ≤0.01 mg KOH/g |
| Moisture | Karl-Fischer, GB/T 6283 | Mettler V20S | ≤0.1% |
| Melting point / range | DSC, GB/T 19466 | TA Instruments Q2000 | 140.5–141.8 °C |
| Ash content | GB/T 1429 (gravimetric) | Muffle furnace 800 °C | ≤0.001% |
| Iron content | ICP-MS, GB/T 23942 | Agilent 7800 | ≤0.5 ppm |
| Zn / Mn residual | ICP-MS | Agilent 7800 | ≤0.3 ppm / ≤0.1 ppm |
| Thermal stability | TGA, GB/T 27761 | TA Instruments Q500 | ≤0.5% loss @ 300 °C / 30 min |
| UV absorbance (285 nm) | UV-Vis, ASTM E169 | Shimadzu UV-1900 | ≤0.05 |
| Particle size distribution | Laser diffraction, ISO 13320 | Malvern Mastersizer 3000 | D₅₀ 250-400 μm |
| Density (25 °C) | Pycnometer, GB/T 4472 | Anton Paar DMA 4500 | 1.20 ± 0.02 g/cm³ |
3 sampling points per batch (start / mid / end); +1 for batches ≥5 t. Composite retention sample held 24 months.
Standard ≤24 h; expedited 8 h. COA available in PDF + Excel + JSON-LD formats.
Monthly blind cross-check by SGS / Intertek / Zhejiang Petrochemical Quality Institute; annual audit on file.
12 granted invention patents across catalyst, process, distillation, skid-mount platform. 3 PCT applications in regional phase — forming a defensible technology moat.
Note: Patent number tails are redacted. Full numbers searchable at CNIPA Patent Search by applicant "Hangzhou Ruisaike New Materials Co., Ltd.", or via Ruisaike IP department on request (PDF).
High-frequency questions from customer process engineers, procurement and QA / compliance teams. For deeper process data, catalyst lifetime curves, or custom solutions, contact sales for the technical data package.
ResourceCycle's methanolysis process uses waste PET / polyester fibre as feedstock, depolymerising at 155-170 °C / 0.1-0.3 MPa into DMT + EG at molecular level. Vs PTA route: 32% lower energy, 21% lower water, 1.4 t CO₂ saved per ton DMT (ISO 14067 verified). Product color (≤5 APHA) and acid value (≤0.01 mg KOH/g) significantly outperform mechanical recycling — virgin-equivalent polyester grade.
The Zn-Mn binary catalyst combines Zn²⁺ Lewis-acid activation of the ester carbonyl with Mn²⁺ stabilisation of the tetrahedral intermediate, enabling low-T (155-170 °C) high-selectivity (≥99.2%) depolymerisation. Vs Sb₂O₃: reaction temperature 70 °C lower, product color from 15-25 to ≤5 APHA, product Sb residue from ≤80 ppm Sb down to ≤0.3 ppm Zn, TON ≥4,500 = 3.8× of Sb₂O₃.
Post-reaction methanol is distilled off; residual liquor passes a proprietary chelating resin bed (PolyCh-Z-201) that adsorbs Zn²⁺ / Mn²⁺ at ≥99.5% recovery. The adsorbent regenerates every 30 batches, regeneration eluent recycled to the reactor. Zero heavy-metal effluent, ISO 14001 certified.
This range is the optimum balance across thermodynamics (K=0.32 sufficient with product separation), kinetics (t½ ≈ 18 min), side reactions (DEG generation ≤2%), and capex (atmospheric equipment). Above 200 °C, DEG doubles, catalyst thermal decomposition accelerates, and pressure-rated equipment raises capex 40%+ — net economics deteriorate.
Pretreatment uses a 5-stage chain: shred → dry → eddy-current sorter → vibrating screen → IR identification. Metals (Fe / Al) removed via eddy current ≥99.8%; PVC (Cl-containing) removed via IR ≥99.5% (avoids HCl corrosion downstream); PE / PA removed by flotation ≥98%. Post-pretreatment impurity content ≤0.1% — reactor feed compliant.
Stoichiometric M/PET = 2, but engineering uses 6-10× excess to: (1) drive equilibrium (K=0.32 unfavourable alone); (2) lower melt viscosity for mass / heat transfer; (3) maintain catalyst solvation. Excess methanol is recovered ≥99.5% via 4-stage distillation, recycled to the reactor — net consumption ≈0.32 t methanol per t DMT.
Gradient cooling 110→55 °C in 3 stages (110→85 °C slow nucleation, 85→65 °C fast growth, 65→55 °C slow shaping) yields a tight D₅₀ 250-400 μm distribution. This particle size optimises centrifugation, drying, and downstream PBT / PETG feed handling. Direct quench widens distribution, increases mother-liquor entrainment loss 8%, and degrades color.
Methanol / EG boiling-point gap is 132 °C (64.7 / 197.3 °C) — separable in a 4-stage tray column at atmospheric pressure. EG distillate is secondary-refined via activated carbon adsorption to remove trace aldehyde / acid. Final EG: color ≤5 APHA, moisture ≤0.1%, DEG ≤0.08% — all meeting GB/T 4649 polyester-grade spec for direct PET polymerisation reuse.
Built to GB/T 150 (China pressure vessel) + ASME VIII (US ASME) dual code. Safety: (1) reactor PSV + rupture disc 2-tier relief (set 0.5 MPa); (2) plant-wide N₂ inerting (O₂ ≤4%); (3) ATEX Zone 1 electrical; (4) 30+ SIL-2 interlock loops; (5) full HAZOP + safety assessment approved. Zero incidents since commissioning.
The joint research centre with Zhejiang University Department of Polymer Science & Engineering has delivered 5 production technologies: (1) 3rd-gen Zn-Mn binary catalyst (patent ZL2023.X.X.2); (2) PolyCh-Z-201 chelating resin; (3) optical-grade DMT deep-decolourisation process; (4) PVC IR identification algorithm; (5) DCS intelligent control with AI catalyst-lifetime prediction. The centre publishes 6-8 SCI papers / year and trains 4-6 MSc / PhD per year.
