Sustainable recycling of PET/cotton mixed waste fabrics: Mechanical decomposition and efficient component separation for reuse

Abstract

In recent years, the surge in production of polyethylene terephthalate, also known as polyester, has resulted in a large amount of waste polyester-based textiles. Traditional incineration and landfilling methods can cause serious harm to the environment, while existing recycling methods have deep-rooted shortcomings, making the disposal of waste polyester an urgent problem to be solved. A new mechanical recycling method for waste polyester-based fabrics is proposed in this article. The effect of cutting mill parameters (number of cutting times, cassette perforation dimension) on the size of particles mechanically decomposed from waste fabric was analyzed. For a description of the particle size, the sieving methodology was chosen. It was found that both selected factors have statistically significant effect on particle size. As the number of cutting times increases, the particle size decreases, and using larger perforation sieve cassette results in larger particle sizes. To separate and recover polyester and other components from mechanically decomposed polyester-based waste fabrics, two methods were proposed and explored. The separation effectivity of different material components was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Mechanical decomposition of polyester blend textiles offers a low-pollution and efficient recycling method, making it promising for textile waste management. This approach shows strong potential for industrial scalability, offering a feasible and environmentally friendly solution for large-scale textile waste recycling.