Green Machine: Post-consumer Blended Textile Separation and Recycling by Hydrothermal Treatment – Design Spectrum

POST-CONSUMER TEXTILES CIRCULAR SUPPLY CHAINS
Cotton and polyester blended-fibre are extensively used by clothing manufacturers today to meet garment preferences in fit, style, and comfort. Currently, there is absence of a textile recycling solution that can completely recycle these blended-fibre. The huge amount of textile waste imposes great pressure on landfill and fibre supply chain. To address this problem, HKRITA developed the Green Machine, a post-consumer blended textile separation and recycling system by using hydrothermal treatment to recycle and reuse textiles made of cotton polyester blends, achieving closed-loop textile recycling. The process uses only heat, water and less than 15% of a biodegradable chemical to selectively decompose cotton into cellulose powders, thereby enabling the separation of the polyester fibres from the blends.