Process for purifying bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate

A process for purifying bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET), comprising:

• treating a crude BHET solution with at least one oxidizing agent at a temperature of from 30° C. to 100° C. to obtain an oxidized solution;
• treating the oxidized solution with at least one adsorbing agent to obtain a purified oxidized solution;
• and
• separating the at least one adsorbing agent from the purified oxidized solution to obtain a purified BHET solution;
• wherein the crude BHET solution is obtained by depolymerization of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste;
• and
• wherein the at least one oxidizing agent comprises at least one inorganic oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal chlorite, an alkaline-earth metal chlorite, an alkali metal hypochlorite, an alkaline-earth metal hypochlorite, an alkali metal persalt, an alkaline-earth metal persalt, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and chlorine gas.