Short answers, pulled from the story.
Most polyester is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), made from purified terephthalic acid (PTA) or dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) reacted with monoethylene glycol (MEG) through a polycondensation process. The reaction takes place at high temperatures, typically between 150 and 290 degrees Celsius, and removes water or methanol as a byproduct.
The British General Electric Company received a polyester patent in 1928. British scientists Whinfield and Dickson then patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in 1941, building on incomplete earlier work by Wallace Carothers at DuPont. DuPont bought all legal rights from Imperial Chemical Industries in 1946.
Around 30.5 million metric tons of PET were produced worldwide in 2019. Total world polyester production across all types, including textile fiber, bottle resin, film, and specialty grades, reached approximately 59 million tonnes per year by 2008, up from around 31.2 million tonnes in 2002.
Yes. Bees in the genus Colletes secrete a polyester material to line their underground brood cells, earning them the nickname "polyester bees." Plants also produce natural polyesters in the cutin layer of their outer cuticle, formed from omega hydroxy acids linked by ester bonds. Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable; most synthetic polyesters are not.
A single 6-kilogram washing machine load of polyester fabric can release an estimated 496,030 microfibers, contributing to microplastics pollution in freshwater and ocean habitats. The lifetime carbon emissions of a polyester t-shirt are estimated at over 20 kilograms of CO2 equivalent. Global plastic waste is projected to nearly triple by 2060 if current production trends continue.
PET is one of the most recycled plastics in the world. Its ester bonds can be broken down through hydrolysis, methanolysis, and glycolysis, making chemical recycling viable. Enzymes including PETase, cutinase, esterase, and lipase also enable biological recycling. Recycled PET, known as rPET, is increasingly used in textile production sourced from post-consumer plastic bottles.