Recycling of Waste PET into Useful Alkyd Resin Synthesis by Microwave Irradiation and Applied in Textile Printing

Modified alkyd resins with different amounts of vegetable oil contents (sunflower oil) and different catalysts are synthesized with the incorporation of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a partial substitute for phthalic anhydride. It is found that the properties of the products obtained are directly related to the oil content. The polymerization reactions are followed by the acid value. The modified binder contains 50% oil and 10% PET in the presence of LiOH as the catalyst by using microwave irradiation. The AV value is attained in a short amount of time; it is found that the glass Transition Temperature (Tg) of the modified binder is -1.7 °C. The stiffness and roughness of the printed fabrics by using the modified binder are better than those of the commercial binder for both cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics. Moreover, it is clear that the overall fastness properties of the fabrics printed by using the modified binder in the formulation of printing pastes are higher or comparable to those that use commercial binders.