Introduction
Nowadays, the world is facing growing concerns about environmental, social, energy and water sustainability, due to the excessive consumption of natural resources and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The textile industry is facing several challenges, as it generates a significant environmental impact, from the cultivation of natural fibers to the production of synthetic fibers and finished fabrics, to the landfilling of post-consumer items. More than 15 kg of textile waste per person is generated annually in the European Union (EU). The generation of textile waste is problematic because landfill and incineration are the main final destinations of these materials, both in the EU and outside the EU.
Technology
The fiber-to-fiber recycling process has very stringent application requirements. Mixed fibers and impurities influence and limit the recycling process. Some thermoplastic fibers are considered contaminants in mixed fabrics and represent an obstacle to fiber-to-fiber recycling of fabrics as they usually make the process inapplicable.
To meet the growing need for textile garment recycling, Next Technology Tecnotessile has developed a technology that allows the selective separation of thermoplastic fibers from natural and synthetic mixed fabrics, by heat treatment with solvent. The process has been tested with an operating capacity of 5 kg of fabric per batch and treatment processes have been developed for different types of fabrics with mixed fibers.
For each type of fabric, the developed technology allows the selective removal of over 96% of thermoplastic fibers from mixed fabrics, obtaining a product with a high degree of purity, sufficient to be recycled and reused. Furthermore, this technology allows the recovery of the extracted fibres, which have properties suitable for being introduced into the recycling chain.
Next Objectives
The Next Technology Tecnotessile R&D team is working on optimising the technology in order to make it suitable for industrial scale-up.
- The research plans to improve the following aspects:
- Selective removal efficiency of thermoplastic fibers in other types of mixed fabrics
- Recovery and purification efficiency of the solvent and extracted elastomer
- Energy efficiency of the process
- Validation of the physical and chemical properties of the recovered materials
Useful contacts
For more information, we recommend downloading the brochure and contacting the following contacts:
Next Technology Tecnotessile
Via del Gelso, 13 – 59100 Prato – Italy
Tel. +39 0574 634040
Email: services@tecnotex.it
Technical details
Download the PDF to know the technical details of our services. For any further information, do not hesitate to contact us, we will answer you as soon as possible.
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