Textile waste colour stripping
This project addresses the pressing issue of textile waste by developing an efficient colour-stripping process to remove persistent dyes from cellulose-based fabrics, such as cotton. The aim is to produce a suitable feedstock for recycling into new textiles by mechanical or chemical processes, reducing reliance on raw materials, minimizing waste disposal, and promoting a circular economy.
The project involves testing common pulp-bleaching agents for the colour stripping of textile waste, and optimizing treatment conditions. Comprehensive wastewater analysis ensures ecological sustainability, while re-dyeing tests explore the feasibility of reusing the stripped fabrics.
By advancing knowledge and techniques in colour stripping, this initiative aims to transform textile waste into a valuable resource, paving the way for more sustainable and innovative recycling practices.
The key research questions include:
- What is the colour stripping resistance of different dye chemical structures?
- What is the efficiency of conventional oxidation processes on the colour stripping of dyed textiles?
- What are the physical-chemical properties of cellulose fibers after colour stripping?
- What is the environmental impact of the colour-stripping process?
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The goal of this work package is to establish strategies for textile waste separation into chemically different fractions, mainly cellulose fibres and polyester fraction.
The goal of this work package is to establish a procedure to accurately determine the composition of textile waste samples.
The goal of this work package is to develop depolymerisation and re-polymerisation processes for chemical recycling of synthetic fibres.
The TexirC project will support Finnish companies in their efforts to create a more sustainable textile industry.
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