Publicação
Alternative organic solvents for elastane removal from textile waste: a case study of polyester/elastane fabric
| Resumo: | The increasing demand for sustainable textile recycling has driven the search for effective methods to separate and recover valuable materials from fabric waste. Elastane, a widely applied synthetic polymer in the textile industry due to its flexibility and durability, presents considerable environmental challenges after the material life cycle. Thus, the development of effective methods for elastane degradation is of paramount importance to mitigate its environmental impact. The utilisation of conventional disposal techniques, such as incineration and landfilling, has been identified as a significant contributor to environmental pollution and the loss of valuable materials. This underscores the necessity for the development of alternative recycling processes. Dimethylformamide (DMF) and Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) are two organic solvents commonly used in the chemical processing of textiles for the removal of elastane. However, both solvents have notable environmental toxicity, health risks and regulatory constraints. This study focuses on evaluating alternative biobased organic solvents for direct elastane solubilisation (cyrene, γ-valerolactone, and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA)) in the presence and in the absence of an organic catalyst (1,5-Diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN)) and studies a case using a polyester/elastane fabric. The results demonstrated that γ-valerolactone with DBN and THFA are effective in elastane dissolution using the exhaustion method over an hour at 80°C. The degradation of elastane was evaluated through mechanical testing by determining the breaking force, elongation, tenacity and Young’s modulus. Moreover, the physicochemical analysis was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic method with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This research contributes to the advancement of circular economy practices in the textile industry by identifying viable pathways for elastane recycling. |
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| Autores principais: | Silva, Ana Catarina |
| Outros Autores: | Azevedo, Tiago Jorge Mendonça Pinto; Ribeiro, Ana Isabel Ferreira; Chaves, Diego Morais; Fangueiro, Raúl; Ferreira, Diana P. |
| Assunto: | Biobased solvents Polyurethane dissolution Spandex Textile recycling Polyester fabric |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | outro |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | The increasing demand for sustainable textile recycling has driven the search for effective methods to separate and recover valuable materials from fabric waste. Elastane, a widely applied synthetic polymer in the textile industry due to its flexibility and durability, presents considerable environmental challenges after the material life cycle. Thus, the development of effective methods for elastane degradation is of paramount importance to mitigate its environmental impact. The utilisation of conventional disposal techniques, such as incineration and landfilling, has been identified as a significant contributor to environmental pollution and the loss of valuable materials. This underscores the necessity for the development of alternative recycling processes. Dimethylformamide (DMF) and Dimethylacetamide (DMAc) are two organic solvents commonly used in the chemical processing of textiles for the removal of elastane. However, both solvents have notable environmental toxicity, health risks and regulatory constraints. This study focuses on evaluating alternative biobased organic solvents for direct elastane solubilisation (cyrene, γ-valerolactone, and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA)) in the presence and in the absence of an organic catalyst (1,5-Diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN)) and studies a case using a polyester/elastane fabric. The results demonstrated that γ-valerolactone with DBN and THFA are effective in elastane dissolution using the exhaustion method over an hour at 80°C. The degradation of elastane was evaluated through mechanical testing by determining the breaking force, elongation, tenacity and Young’s modulus. Moreover, the physicochemical analysis was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic method with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This research contributes to the advancement of circular economy practices in the textile industry by identifying viable pathways for elastane recycling. |
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