From fast fashion to discarded linens, textile waste is piling up. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. sends more than 11 million tons of textile waste to landfills each year. NC State researchers are hoping to change that, however, by making it easier to recycle fabrics. “We’re basically throwing away really sophisticated materials that have value,” said Sonja Salmon, a textiles professor at NC State and one of the authors of a new study about textile fiber separation for sustainable waste processing.
Salmon and graduate student Jeannie Egan developed a method to separate polyester and cotton blends, one of the biggest challenges for textile recycling. “Currently, recycled polyester that’s used in clothing actually comes from recycling your soda bottles,” Salmon said. Textile-to-textile recycling is difficult because of the wide variety of chemicals and materials used in clothing.
Salmon says they focused on the two most common materials: cotton and polyester, which account for 75% of fibers used in textiles. The researchers developed a method to break down the cotton in textile blends using enzymes. The cotton slurry contains sugars that can be used in biofuels. “Your t-shirt and blue jeans could ultimately make biomethane that could power a tractor,” Salmon said. Once the cotton is removed, the remaining polyester can be reused or recycled. “Currently, recycled polyester that’s used in clothing actually comes from recycling your soda bottles,” Salmon said.