Abstract
This paper reports the recycling of end-of-life cellulose containing textiles by fabrication of all-cellulose composites (ACCs). Discharged denim fabrics were used as the reinforcement while dissolved cellulose from two different cellulose resources was used as the matrix phase. Virgin cotton fibres and recovered cotton from polyester/cotton (polycotton) waste fabrics were used to form the matrix phase. The process comprises preparing a 6 wt% cellulose solution by dissolving cellulose solution in a ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ([BMIM][Ac]), this solution acted as a precursor for the matrix component. The denim fabrics were first embedded in the cellulose/IL solution followed by removal of the IL by washing to form the composite. The effect of reuse of the recovered IL by distillation was also investigated. The mechanical properties of the obtained ACCs were determined regarding tensile, impact and flexural properties. Fabricated ACC composite laminates were further characterised regarding structure by scanning electron microscopy.
Highlights
Sustainability is today a trend that is seen everywhere, with no exception for the textiles industry
The polyester fibres were separated by decantation, and the remaining cotton suspension was filtered with a Whatman polyamide membrane filter with a pore size of 0.45 μm to separate the cellulose
Every year tens of million tons of textile waste are generated and mostly disposed in landfills without reuse or recycling
Summary
Sustainability is today a trend that is seen everywhere, with no exception for the textiles industry. Mechanical recycling of end-of-life textile fabrics into yarns and fabrics was before very common, but due to the low costs for virgin man-made fibres, the current textile material composition diversity, the fibre material quality variations and the high recycling costs this route is not feasible. Another way to decrease the ever-growing pile of. Denim jeans are among the most popular clothing textiles in the world consumer’s demand and a significant part of global cotton production is be applied for denim fabric production [6]. Since the matrix and the reinforcement are both made from cellulose, and chemically identical, they are fully compatible with each other which allow efficient stress
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