(642h) Chemical Mixed Textile Recycling over Heterogeneous Catalysts

Less than 0.5% of post-consumer textile waste generated globally is recycled, while the rest is incinerated, accumulated in landfills, or leaks into the environment. The fashion industry contributes to a significant environmental issue due to the increasing demand and production. Today, many post-consumer textiles produced consist of mixed fibers. Recycling mixed fibers is challenging due to the blend of materials and contaminants such as additives, dyes, and finishes. Mechanical recycling of textiles has been the predominant recycling means. However, mechanically recycled textiles exhibit reduced fiber strength due to the down-cycling process, with applications limited to low-value products such as carpeting and upholstery. The textile industry, with its ever-growing environmental footprint, needs sustainable, efficient, and economical recycling technologies for mixed textiles. In this work, we implement solvolysis in the presence of various earth-abundant heterogeneous catalysts to depolymerize mixed textile. We demonstrate excellent performance for real-world post-consumer mixed textile waste deconstruction with rapid depolymerization. We discuss the impact of various components and how to make the recycling process sustainable.