Editing Imidazole (section)

==Depolymerizing PET via Imidazolysis==
[[Polyethylene terephthalate]] (PET) is a widely used plastic found in clothing, food packaging, beverage bottles, and thermoplastic resins. The massive accumulation of PET waste, mostly from single-use beverage bottles and food packaging, creates serious environmental problems.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Visual Feature {{!}} Beat Plastic Pollution |url=https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=unep.org |language=EN}}</ref> As a type of polyester, PET can be broken down through a process called [[depolymerization]] which involves breaking its molecular chains using chemical methods.

A method of depolymerization called "imidazolysis," uses imidazole and similar compounds to break down PET. When PET reacts with an excess of imidazole, it produces 1,1′-terephthaloylbisimidazole (TBI).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Bepari |first=Mousumi R. |last2=Sullivan |first2=Lauren R. |last3=O’Harra |first3=Kathryn E. |last4=Barbosa |first4=Gabriel D. |last5=Turner |first5=C. Heath |last6=Bara |first6=Jason E. |date=2024-07-12 |title=Depolymerizing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) via “Imidazolysis” for Obtaining a Diverse Array of Intermediates from Plastic Waste |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsapm.4c01525 |journal=ACS Applied Polymer Materials |volume=6 |issue=13 |pages=7886–7896 |doi=10.1021/acsapm.4c01525|url-access=subscription }}</ref> TBI can be further processed into smaller products, including amides, benzimidazoles, and esters, or even reused to create new polymers. TBI is a flexible intermediate compound, meaning it can be stored and later transformed into specific products as needed. This may allow manufacturers to delay deciding on the final products until after the depolymerization process, providing flexibility to meet different industrial demands.<ref name=":0" />

Imidazolysis can also be used to break down other polyesters and polyurethanes, making it a versatile approach for recycling plastics.<ref name=":0" />