Materials engineers at the University of Delaware have developed a chemical recycling process to distinguish synthetic fibers like nylon from natural fibers like cotton, offering a potentially ground-breaking approach to clothes recycling. Approximately 10% of the garbage that ends up in landfills worldwide is from the fashion and textile sectors, most of it is not recyclable. Textiles made of nylon, polyester, and spandex release microplastics into the environment regularly, and most municipal recycling facilities lack the machinery necessary to deal with them. There are ways to recycle these clothing, at least in their entirety; however, the fibers cannot be recycled when mixed with wool or cotton.

Paving Towards Sustainable Advancement ~ Process Of Recycling! 
By eliminating pollution, cutting waste, and preserving resources, recycling is essential to ensuring environmental sustainability. Examining recycling's future is more pertinent and fascinating than ever as society grows more conscious of the need for sustainable practices. Technological developments have made recycling operations much more effective and efficient. Automation in sorting and sophisticated recycling technology are examples of innovations that have improved recycling rates and decreased contamination. New recycling techniques that can handle complicated and mixed materials, such as chemical recycling, have also been made possible by these breakthroughs.


  Recycled Clothing Will Be The New Trend In Coming Years~  (Source: Google Images) 

“We need a better way to recycle modern garments that are complex because we are never going to stop buying clothes,” Erha Andini, a chemical engineer at the University of Delaware, told MIT’s Tech Review. “We are looking to create a closed-loop system for textile recycling.”

Andini is the lead author of a study on a process she’s pioneering, which is out today in Science Advances, that uses a solvent to break the chemical bonds in polyester and nylon and cause the artificial threads to fall away from the natural ones. This allows for ideal recycling conditions for returning both threads to this closed-loop system. This altogether simple microwave energy to activate the solvent makes the process cheaper and more efficient regarding energy consumption.

Obstacles Remain ~ Some of the recycled artificial fibers are too deteriorated for additional usage, which results in a substantial loss of value for the process when the recycled product is sold again. The solvent is notably expensive despite the low energy usage, which is the second problem. Andani isn't simply a chemical engineer, though; she is focused on commercializing the approach after receiving a fellowship for entrepreneurship.

“Hopefully, once we can get pure components from each part, we can transform them back into yarn and make clothes again,” she says. “It’ll be a matter of having the capital or not, but we’re working on it and excited for it.”