The TRACE project, named PETfection, has made significant progress toward converting PET from household plastic waste into high-quality recycled PET (rPET). Aalborg University's prototype flow reactor can convert 99 % of household PET using hot water at approximately 280 °C, with water being the only byproduct. The solid product can then be used to manufacture new virgin-grade rPET. This innovation has the potential to significantly improve both the quality and quantity of rPET compared to current mechanical recycling processes.

"We have reached 'proof of concept,'" says Thomas Helmer Pedersen, project manager at Aalborg University.