A research group led by Professor Hiroshi Uyama of the Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering has developed a new technology that separates and recycles cotton and polyester blend fibers in just a few minutes. As cotton and polyester blend fibers account for half of the large amount of apparel waste produced, new technology is expected to be used to reduce waste and reduce environmental impact.
According to Osaka University, Professor Uyama et al. heated the blended fibers using microwaves, which operate on the same principle as microwave ovens, to extract and recover cotton as is, and convert polyester into a precursor to polyethylene terephthalate, which is used as a raw material for plastic bottles and other products. We succeeded in recovering a certain bishydroxyethyl terephthalate with high purity.
The apparel industry is sometimes criticized as being the second most polluting industry after oil because it generates a large amount of clothing, and the fast fashion industry in particular is seen as a symbol of this. According to the Ministry of the Environment, by 2, of the approximately 2022 tons of clothing disposed of annually in the garbage, 47% will be incinerated or disposed of in landfills, making the establishment of recycling methods an issue.
Blend fibers of cotton and polyester make up half of clothing, but conventional technology has not been able to separate the cotton and polyester, making it impossible to recycle them. Professor Uyama says that implementing this technology in society will require some process development through collaboration between industry and academia, but he believes that the technology itself is simple and highly efficient, so it is highly practical.
