The Recimap project, spearheaded by the Bespoke Factory Group and funded by Valencian Agency for Innovation has been launched in Spain to recover polyester and lactic acid from poly-cotton textile waste in an attempt to tackle its environmental challenges in the fashion industry.
The Recimap project was developed in response to the problem of polyester and cotton textile waste that is ultimately disposed of through landfilling or incineration because of the complex blend of materials being difficult to recycle. It was developed in collaboration with Aimplas, a Spanish Plastics Technology Centre, the University of Valencia, and the Valencia Interior V3 consortium.
By developing a method to selectively separate blends of cotton and polyester through synthesis and the use of ionic liquids—a more ecologically friendly substitute for standard solvents—Recimap aims to find a new way to handle the two commonly used materials.
The polyester fraction undergoes mechanochemical processes to yield recycled polyester, while the cotton fraction is channelled into lactic acid production through fermentation processes.
Belén Taroncher, a researcher in the chemical recycling group at Aimplas commented, “The Recimap Project makes a significant contribution to the circular economy, especially considering the increasing amount of textile waste expected in the coming years, partially due to European regulations on extended producer responsibility (EPR).”
With financial backing from the European Union, the project has discovered a novel recycling technique that is expected to produce recycled polyester that has a significantly reduced carbon footprint in comparison to virgin polyester.
