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The development of textile recycling solutions is an area of intense research and commercialization. Chemical recycling solutions are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to separate complex blends and retain or improve the value of the original fiber. The chemical recycling of cotton requires a pre-treatment step to reduce the degree of polymerization (DP). The DP can be reduced in a variety of ways, and here, the environmental footprints of two different pre-treatment approaches are examined using life cycle assessment (LCA); sodium hydroxide pre-treatment and sulfuric acid pre-treatment. We find that the acid pre-treatment has a significantly lower environmental footprint across all impact categories calculated. This is attributed to the lower treatment times required and the lower material and energy requirements for the manufacture of chemicals. The results were normalized to show the most significant impact categories for each pre-treatment, and further environmental implications of the pre-treatments are discussed. The findings will aid academia and industry in implementing the most environmentally benign processes in chemical cotton recycling.
Lucas Rosson; Nolene Byrne. Comparative Gate-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment for the Alkali and Acid Pre-Treatment Step in the Chemical Recycling of Waste Cotton. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8613 .
AMA StyleLucas Rosson, Nolene Byrne. Comparative Gate-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment for the Alkali and Acid Pre-Treatment Step in the Chemical Recycling of Waste Cotton. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8613.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucas Rosson; Nolene Byrne. 2020. "Comparative Gate-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment for the Alkali and Acid Pre-Treatment Step in the Chemical Recycling of Waste Cotton." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8613.
Due to several factors including textile waste accumulation and the use of environmentally harsh chemicals, the textile industry has become the second worst polluting industry worldwide. Therefore, significant effort is currently underway to find solutions to reduce this impact. In this study, coloured waste cotton fabrics were regenerated through a wet spinning process into new coloured fibres, hence recycling not only the fibre materials but also the colour. The impact of pretreatments on the colour retention and degree of polymerization of waste cotton-based fabrics was investigated in terms of the degree of polymerization of the waste cotton, the rheological properties of the spinning dope and the ability to maintain the original colour of the waste fabric. The spun fibres showed mechanical strength similar to commercial viscose fibre. The colour from the original fabric was retained under selected acid pretreatment conditions.
Yibo Ma; Lucas Rosson; Xungai Wang; Nolene Byrne. Upcycling of waste textiles into regenerated cellulose fibres: impact of pretreatments. The Journal of The Textile Institute 2019, 111, 630 -638.
AMA StyleYibo Ma, Lucas Rosson, Xungai Wang, Nolene Byrne. Upcycling of waste textiles into regenerated cellulose fibres: impact of pretreatments. The Journal of The Textile Institute. 2019; 111 (5):630-638.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYibo Ma; Lucas Rosson; Xungai Wang; Nolene Byrne. 2019. "Upcycling of waste textiles into regenerated cellulose fibres: impact of pretreatments." The Journal of The Textile Institute 111, no. 5: 630-638.