substance

Polyethylene terephthalate

A polymer, recorded by the registry's polymer rule (docs/registry.md, Polymers): the formula is the repeat unit C10H8O4 (end groups neglected), and the molar mass is that of the repeat unit. The ChEBI id is poly(ethylene terephthalate) macromolecule, which cross-references CAS 25038-59-9 (ChEBI via EBI OLS, 2026-11-05; CHEBI:61452 'poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer' is a related entry); ChEBI's generalized formula (C10H8O5)n differs from the repeat unit by one oxygen, so the repeat unit is kept. No InChIKey or PubChem CID: a polymer has no standard InChIKey, and the chemicals package (1.5.2) does not hold CAS 25038-59-9, so the entry is in tests/test_registry.py's CHEMICALS_PACKAGE_EXCEPTIONS.

Formula: C10H8O4
CAS: 25038-59-9
ChEBI: CHEBI:53259

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Made by

Polyethylene terephthalate by continuous PTA esterification, melt polycondensation and SSPMain productConcept · not reviewed

Used by

No process in the Atlas uses this yet.

When a process with this chemical is added to the library, it appears here.

Routes compared

One route in the Atlas makes Polyethylene terephthalate: nothing to compare yet. A comparison appears when a second route is added.

Per 1 kg of Polyethylene terephthalate: inventory from each route's LCI dataset, unallocated; footprints per the functional unit of their own LCA.

Route	Tier, design maturity, review status	Geography, year	Energy	Feedstocks	Key emissions	Footprint	Comparability
Polyethylene terephthalate by continuous PTA esterification, melt polycondensation and SSPcontinuous direct esterification of PTA with MEG and continuous melt polycondensation with antimony catalyst, then continuous solid-state polycondensation; the DMT routes and batch units are not modelled	Tier 1 (sourced conceptual)Design maturity: Concept (research)Not independently reviewedDataset review: unreviewed	GLO, 2015	Natural gas (as methane) to the heat-transfer-medium heaters: 0.042 kg Electricity: 0.23 kWh	Purified terephthalic acid (PTA): 0.85 kg Isophthalic acid (comonomer): 0.0227 kg Monoethylene glycol: 0.334 kg Combustion oxygen, from ambient air: 0.167 kg (free) Water consumed (withdrawn and not returned): 0.73 kg Polycondensation catalyst (antimony compounds): 0.000443 kg Phosphorus stabiliser (e.g. polyphosphoric acid): 0.00005 kg	CO2 from the heat-transfer-medium heaters: 0.115 kg Water vapour from the heat-transfer-medium heaters: 0.0943 kg Acetaldehyde to air: 0.00006 kg Ethylene glycol to air: 0.00001 kg	no footprint	–

ISO 14044 requires a critical review (by a panel of interested parties, ISO/TS 14071) of a comparative assertion intended to be disclosed to the public. These routes are listed side by side for screening; a statement that one is better than another needs that review. None of these routes has had such a review.