Scientist Crack the Code on Large-Scale Fabric Recycling for Polyester-Cotton Blends

Source - Recyclingedu

I've read that giving your clothing to a resale store - i.e. Goowill in the United States - is better than throwing the clothing away even if there are significant rips that would need mending. I can't quote the source, but wherever I heard that from said that any fabric goods that they don't deem re-sellable are then downcycled into industrial rags. At least they're not going into landfills.

But scientists from the University of Amsterdam claim to have found a way to separate cotton from polyester and leave both as usable, recyclable products. The process seems chemically simple, soaking the blended fabrics in concentrated hydrochloric acid so that the cotton decomposes into glucose - which can be used as a monomer for further repolymerization - and leaving the still-polymerized polyester to be reformed into fabric.

Sounds great to me. Hopefully it'll be scaleable, because - as quoted in the article...

Textile production is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. This new method could reduce emissions, conserve resources, and lessen our dependence on virgin materials by making recycling easier and more efficient.