Utilization of used textiles for solid recovered fuel production

Area of Science:

• Waste Management & Circular Economy
• Materials Science
• Energy & Fuels

Background:

• Textile waste management presents environmental challenges, with recycling often resulting in lower-quality products.
• Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) offer a potential alternative for utilizing used textiles.
• International standard ISO 21640:2021 defines requirements for SRF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the suitability of various used textile fibers for producing solid recovered fuels (SRF).
• To evaluate the potential of textile-derived SRF as a coal substitute.
• To assess the environmental impact, specifically CO2 emissions, of using textile-derived SRF.

Main Methods:

• Proximate and ultimate analysis of used textiles (acrylic, cotton, linen, polyester, wool, viscose).
• Determination of mercury and chlorine content in textile samples.
• Calculation of lower heating value and estimation of CO2 emission factors.

Main Results:

• Textile-derived SRF can achieve acceptable parameters (e.g., heating value, low mercury and chlorine content) for Class 1 SRF.
• High sulfur content in wool (3.0-3.6%) and nitrogen in acrylic may limit their use in power generation.
• Substitution of 3% of coal consumption by 2030 is feasible, with CO2 emission reductions dependent on fiber composition.

Conclusions:

• Used textiles are a viable source for producing standardized solid recovered fuels (SRF).
• Natural and cellulosic fibers are preferable for SRF production due to lower CO2 emission factors, comparable to biomass.
• Further research is needed to address limitations posed by specific fiber types (e.g., wool, acrylic) for optimal energy recovery.