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A new methodology to recycle polyester from fabric blends with cellulose

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Abstract

Development of a simple process for separating cellulose and polyester from their mixed fabrics is indispensable for the recycling of waste mixed fabrics. The authors have developed an efficient two-step procedure that consists of an acid treatment and successive mechanical treatment of the mixed fabrics, or more specifically a 1-min static acid treatment of the mixed fabrics with 95 °C aqueous 10 N H2SO4 and successive mechanical beating in room-temperature water. The procedure was also found to be effective for the separation of regenerated cellulosic fabrics from their mixed fabrics with polyester. Cellulose was efficiently removed from polyester fabrics as a powder, with high recovery of both cellulose powder and polyester cloth.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan for financial support, and Ms. Yoshimi Morita for technical assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Subramanian Kumaresan

    Present address: Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Fermi” - Universita’ di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo, 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy

  2. Jinichiro Kato

    Present address: Asahi Kasei Corporation, 1-105 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-8101, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8565, Japan

    Akihiko Ouchi, Tatsuo Toida, Subramanian Kumaresan & Wataru Ando

  2. Asahi Kasei Fibers Co., Nobeoka, Miyazaki, 882-0031, Japan

    Jinichiro Kato

Authors
  1. Akihiko Ouchi
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  2. Tatsuo Toida
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  3. Subramanian Kumaresan
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  4. Wataru Ando
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  5. Jinichiro Kato
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akihiko Ouchi.

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Ouchi, A., Toida, T., Kumaresan, S. et al. A new methodology to recycle polyester from fabric blends with cellulose. Cellulose 17, 215–222 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-009-9358-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-009-9358-1

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