Recycling different textile wastes for methane production: Morphological and microstructural changes and microbial...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Waste Management

Background:

• Textile waste poses a significant global environmental challenge.
• Improper disposal leads to pollution and resource depletion.
• Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a sustainable solution for waste bioconversion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of AD for 11 common textile wastes.
• To evaluate methane production, biodegradability, and degradation mechanisms.
• To explore microbial community dynamics during textile waste AD.

Main Methods:

• Application of anaerobic digestion (AD) to diverse textile waste samples.
• Measurement of experimental methane production (EMP) and biodegradability (B_D).
• Analysis of degradation pathways and microbial community shifts.

Main Results:

• Most textile wastes decomposed within 18 days, except blue denim.
• Flax exhibited the highest EMP (356.0 mL/g VS) and B_D (78.0%).
• Degradation involved bacterial conversion of cellulose/hemicellulose to acetate, followed by acetoclastic methanogenesis.

Conclusions:

• Anaerobic digestion is effective for recycling various textile wastes.
• Flax demonstrates high potential for methane generation through AD.
• This research provides insights into textile waste degradation and promotes clean energy production.