# Zhejiang University: methanolysis recovers DMT from mixed PET textiles at 91% yield and ≥99.92% purity

- Published: 2026-11-08 18:36 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling
- Tags: PET depolymerization, methanolysis of PET, dimethyl terephthalate, mixed textile recycling, closed-loop recycling, chemical recycling of plastics, techno-economic analysis, Zhejiang University, Nature Communications
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-bc392707ec290ad5b6c8a7dc_zhejiang_university_methanolysis/

**Authors report selective PET methanolysis in thermally treated mixed textiles under mild conditions; their techno-economic analysis points to a competitive closed-loop option.**

![Zhejiang University: methanolysis recovers DMT from mixed PET textiles at 91% yield and ≥99.92% purity](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/79e0dd4716e6fd22.jpg)
*Daniel Capilla, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Low-carbon Technology at Zhejiang University (Hangzhou) and the College of Material Science and Engineering at Qingdao University described a process for depolymerizing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in mixed textile waste. The paper was published on 7 November 2026 in Nature Communications. According to the authors, the process yields dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) monomer with a purity of at least 99.92% at a yield of 91% [1].

## Why mixed textiles are a problem

The authors note that PET is the second largest source of plastic waste, and that converting it chemically back into monomers is an ideal solution. Many strategies for this have been reported. Extending them to PET-containing waste textiles, however, is economically prohibitive [1].

The reason, as the authors describe it, is that chemical depolymerization can degrade several components of a mixed textile at once. The result is a complex mixture of products, and separating and purifying it is cost-prohibitive. This is the bottleneck the study addresses.

## Selective methanolysis under mild conditions

The authors found that for thermally treated mixed textiles, PET can be depolymerized by methanolysis rapidly and with high selectivity under mild conditions [1]. They report that this greatly simplifies the chemical recycling process. The monomer obtained is DMT, at a yield of 91% and a purity of at least 99.92% [1].

The study also includes a techno-economic analysis. According to the authors, it shows that the strategy is economically competitive, which suggests a feasible closed-loop option for PET, a commodity polymer widely used in practice [1].

The corresponding authors are Ning Zheng and Tao Xie. The article is published under an open-access licence, and its full text and data are available through the journal [1].

## Sources

1. [Nature Communications](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78713-4)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-bc392707ec290ad5b6c8a7dc_zhejiang_university_methanolysis/