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Textile Recycling: Efficient Polyester Recovery from Polycotton Blends Using the Heated High-Ethanol Alkaline Aqueous
Kalliopi Elli Pavlopoulou1, Kateřina Hrůzová1, May Kahoush2
1Biochemical Process Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.
Recycling polycotton textiles is challenging, but a new heated high-ethanol alkaline aqueous (HHeAA) process efficiently breaks down polyester (PET) at lower temperatures. This sustainable method preserves cotton fibers and shows industrial potential for textile waste.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Textile production has doubled, yet only 1% of fibers are recycled, contributing significantly to global pollution and resource depletion.
- Polycotton blends, common in textiles, pose recycling challenges due to their mixed fiber composition.
- Current chemical recycling methods for polyester (PET) often require harsh conditions like high temperatures, long reaction times, or catalysts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel, efficient, and sustainable chemical recycling process for polycotton textile waste.
- To investigate the efficacy of a heated high-ethanol alkaline aqueous (HHeAA) process for hydrolyzing PET in polycotton blends.
- To assess the feasibility of the HHeAA process for industrial application by evaluating its performance under scaled conditions and its impact on cotton fiber integrity.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of the heated high-ethanol alkaline aqueous (HHeAA) process for polycotton hydrolysis.
- Optimization of reaction parameters including temperature, time, and liquid-to-solid ratio.
- Evaluation of PET hydrolysis efficiency and preservation of cotton fiber properties.
- Scaling up the process to assess industrial viability.
Main Results:
- Near-complete PET hydrolysis achieved within 20 minutes at 90 °C using the HHeAA process.
- Effective hydrolysis also observed at lower temperatures (70-80 °C) with extended reaction times.
- Successful scale-up demonstrated complete PET hydrolysis with a significantly reduced liquid-to-solid ratio (from 40 to 7 L/kg).
- Cotton fibers retained most of their properties post-treatment.
Conclusions:
- The HHeAA process offers a highly efficient and sustainable method for chemical recycling of polycotton textiles.
- This innovative approach overcomes limitations of conventional methods by operating at lower temperatures and without catalysts.
- The process's scalability and effectiveness in preserving cotton quality indicate strong potential for industrial implementation in sustainable textile waste management.
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