Textile recycling: A “revolution” with a new method that separates materials directly

A new method discovered by scientists promises to open up new horizons in textile recycling.

A new chemical method developed by scientists at the University of Delaware in the US can directly separate the materials that make up textiles, addressing a major challenge in recycling them, as less than 0.5% of textile waste is recycled worldwide. The research is presented in the journal Science Advances.

Polyester, nylon, cotton and spandex are all materials used in blended fabrics, but this mixing of materials makes it difficult to recycle clothing and reduce fashion waste.

It is estimated that around 92 million tons of textile waste is generated worldwide each year, and less than 0.5% of it is recycled, with the vast majority being incinerated or ending up in landfills. This, the researchers say, is partly due to the fact that most fabrics contain a mixture of fibres. Recycling mixed fabrics requires separating these different fibres, a process that is not possible on an industrial scale.

The research team, which includes Dionyssis Vlachos, a Greek professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, developed a chemical process to separate the mixed fibers, by degrading sugar and using a zinc oxide catalyst. The depolymerization process takes just 15 minutes and breaks down polyester and spandex into their respective monomers. When tested on a blend of cotton, polyester, and nylon, the process preserved the integrity of the cotton and nylon. However, the researchers note that flame retardants and dyes impair sugar degradability, so they encourage early removal of these components before recycling.

In addition, the authors used mathematical modeling to demonstrate that this method could be economically and industrially viable in the future. They noted that “further optimization of this process has the potential to achieve a global textile circularity rate of up to 88%.”

With information from APE – BEE