Innovative Recycling Process Promises to Reduce Textile Waste

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Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed a groundbreaking textile recycling method that significantly reduces clothing waste and supports the circular economy. According to a news release from the university, the process effectively separates cotton from polyester in polycotton textiles, yielding usable glucose from cotton while preserving the integrity of polyester.

The technique utilizes super-concentrated hydrochloric acid to transform cotton into a glucose solution, facilitating a full recycling pathway for both materials. This advancement addresses a key challenge in the textile recycling industry, as fibers are notoriously difficult to disentangle, noted ScienceDirect. With Americans discarding approximately 21 billion pounds of clothing annually, this method presents an essential solution to textile waste.

Gert-Jan Gruter, head of the industrial sustainable chemistry department, emphasized the importance of recovering glucose, a vital bio-based feedstock currently derived from crops like corn and wheat. The glucose obtained can be used in manufacturing polymers, supporting high-yield industrial applications. This initiative aims to establish the first industrial facility dedicated to polycotton textile recycling and the production of commercially available non-food glucose.

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