TECHNOLOGY | PET RECYCLING


worth €400bn, are lost as we lack infrastructure and solid recycling technologies on a large scale”, said Jeppe Holmehave, ReSuit project manager and Consultant, Environmental Technology at the research and technology organisation Danish Technological Institute. The consortium aims to address the lack of PET


Korteks has launched its polyester filament yarn line ‘TAC Reborn’ made of 100% recycled polyester, produced on a Starlinger system using polyester fibres from production scrap and washed post-consumer PET flakes


currently continues to address new questions and targets.” Starlinger manufactures fibre and filament


recycling lines that feature special components for the application. Its RSC candle filter is suited to recycled polyester used in the production of bed sheets, shirts, jackets, trousers, and other clothing items. The RSC candle filter design ensures melt filtration down to 15 μm while maintaining high output. Filter elements are changed on the fly without interrupting production, which significantly limits melt loss, Niedl said. With Starlinger’s Active shredder polyester


fibres can be processed without pre-cutting. The machine design also allows the processing of materials with different bulk densities.


Right: The ReSuit project in Denmark is developing innovative technologies that can transform textile waste into new fabrics


ReSuit project Two innovative recycling processes for PET materi- als are the result of a three-year project alliance in Denmark aimed at developing innovative technolo- gies that can transform textile waste into new fabrics, create new standards for fashion design and achieve a more sustainable textile industry. The project, called Recycling Technologies and Sustainable Textile Product Design or ReSuit, has focused on the 85,000 t of clothing and textiles that enter the Danish market every year. The project received €1.74m from funding body Innovation Fund Denmark through its Grand Solutions project. According to ReSuit, more than half of all clothing fibres produced worldwide are made from polyester fibres and a large proportion are cur- rently incinerated as waste at their end of life. “Every year, 100 billion textile units are produced worldwide, and they are, to a great extent, treated [the same] as disposable cutlery. These materials,


18 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | March/April 2024


fibre textile recycling from two angles: how can the textile industry get better at designing sustainably, and which technologies can ensure circularity for consumer textile wastes? Another aim of ReSuit is to promote the creation of textiles with recycling in mind, and to promote design guidelines that phase out substances not suitable for future textile recycling technologies. In 2022 Denmark started the process of sorting its clothing separately from other materials. The rest of the EU will begin similar sorting efforts from 2025, said Holmehave. Project partners joining the Danish Technological Institute include Danish research institution Aarhus University, Danish sustainable textile solutions and commercial laundry supplier Elis Danmark, German application research organisation Fraunhofer-Ge- sellschaft, Danish materials and design educational institution Design School Kolding, and international apparel maker Bestseller. Other partners include Danish green consul- tancy Behave Green which conducts behavioural studies and designing initiatives, while a refinery in Fredericia, Denmark, sold by Royal Dutch Shell to renewable energy investment firm Postlane Partners, supplies waste heat. The ReSuit partnership has led to the develop-


ment of two processes for recycling clothing waste. The first method opens the door for textile-to-tex- tile recycling of polyester. ReSuit developed a dissolution process that treats clothing waste by separating and purifying the polyester from colour and additives. The result of the dissolution method is a recycled polyester of high enough quality that


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


IMAGE: KORTEKS


IMAGE: DANISH TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE


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