Unsaturated polyester resins based on recycled PET: Preparation and curing behavior

The oligomers obtained from the glycolysis of Poly(ethlene terephthalate) (PET) waste were reacted with maleic anhydride to form a series of unsaturated polyester resins. The obtained resin was used to study the curing reaction with styrene by differential scanning calorimetry. The heats of reaction for styrene and polyester vinyl groups were measured by extrapolating the experimental results. Various kinetic parameters have been obtained using Kissinger expressions. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.