Development of an efficient route for combined recycling of PET and cotton from mixed fabrics
Open accessAbstract
Most textile waste is either incinerated or landfilled today, yet, the material could instead be recycled through chemical recycling to new high-quality textiles. A first important step is separation since chemical recycling of textiles requires pure streams. The focus of this paper is on the separation of cotton and PET (poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyester) from mixed textiles, so called polycotton. Polycotton is one of the most common materials in service textiles used in sheets and towels at hospitals and hotels. A straightforward process using 5–15 wt% NaOH in water and temperature in the range between 70 and 90 °C for the hydrolysis of PET was evaluated on the lab-scale. In the process, the PET was degraded to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Three product streams were generated from the process. First is the cotton; second, the TPA; and, third, the filtrate containing EG and the process chemicals. The end products and the extent of PET degradation were characterized using light microscopy, UV-spectroscopy, and ATR FT-IR spectroscopy, as well as solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the cotton cellulose degradation was evaluated by analyzing the intrinsic viscosity of the cotton cellulose. The findings show that with the addition of a phase transfer catalyst (benzyltributylammonium chloride (BTBAC)), PET hydrolysis in 10% NaOH solution at 90 °C can be completed within 40 min. Analysis of the degraded PET with NMR spectroscopy showed that no contaminants remained in the recovered TPA, and that the filtrate mainly contained EG and BTBAC (when added). The yield of the cotton cellulose was high, up to 97%, depending on how long the samples were treated. The findings also showed that the separation can be performed without the phase transfer catalyst; however, this requires longer treatment times, which results in more cellulose degradation.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
There have recently been significant breakthroughs in the separation of cotton/polyester blends.
“Polymer, oligomer and monomer recycling is, however, hindered by a lack of technologies for sorting and separation into pure enough fractions ( € Ostlund et al., 2015), although there have recently been significant breakthroughs in the separation of cotton/polyester blends (Palme et al., 2017).”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Palme et al., 2017
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Wood Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications
Sjöström, E. (1981) · Cited by 1,902 · see citing works
Wood chemistry, fundamentals and applications
Marchessault, R. H. (1994) · Carbohydrate Research · doi:10.1016/0008-6215(94)90030-2 · Cited by 1,581 · see citing works
Pet Waste Management by Chemical Recycling: A Review
Sinha, V., Patel, M. R., & Patel, J. V. (2008) · Journal of Polymers and the Environment · doi:10.1007/s10924-008-0106-7 · Cited by 865 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundIndian Journal of Chemical Technology
(2022) · Indian Journal of Chemical Technology · doi:10.56042/ijct · Cited by 702 · see citing works
Structural FTIR analysis and thermal characterisation of lyocell and viscose-type fibres
Carrillo, F., Colom, X., Suñol, J. J., et al. (2004) · European Polymer Journal · doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2004.05.003 · Cited by 657 · cited 2× · see citing works
“This was concluded because the two shoulders around 3447 and 3488 cm−1, which are specific for intramolecular OH-stretching in cellulose II (Carrillo et al. 2004) are present in the sample treated in 15% NaOH, but not in the other two samples.”
BackgroundGreener routes for recycling of polyethylene terephthalate
Al-Sabagh, A. M., Yehia, F. Z., Eshaq, G., Rabie, A. M., & ElMetwally, A. E. (2015) · Egyptian Journal of Petroleum · doi:10.1016/j.ejpe.2015.03.001 · Cited by 543 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundRecent Developments in the Chemical Recycling of Postconsumer Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Waste
George, N., & Kurian, T. (2014) · Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · doi:10.1021/ie501995m · Cited by 435 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundRecycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) – A review focusing on chemical methods
Geyer, B., Lorenz, G., & Kandelbauer, A. (2016) · eXPRESS Polymer Letters · doi:10.3144/expresspolymlett.2016.53 · Cited by 262 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundA novel process for ethanol or biogas production from cellulose in blended-fibers waste textiles
Jeihanipour, A., Karimi, K., Niklasson, C., & Taherzadeh, M. J. (2010) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2010.06.026 · Cited by 183 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Dissolving cotton has also been proposed using different solvents, such as ionic liquids or N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO), and separating the two components with filtration (De Silva et al. 2014; Jeihanipour et al. 2010).”
BackgroundPhase transfer catalysis: Chemistry and engineering
Naik, S. D., & Doraiswamy, L. K. (1998) · AIChE Journal · doi:10.1002/aic.690440312 · Cited by 176 · cited 2× · see citing works
“The effect of the phase transfer catalyst is, thus, to carry the hydroxide ions to the surface of the PET to facilitate the reaction (Naik and Doraiswamy 1998).”
BackgroundChemical recycling of PET by catalyzed glycolysis: Kinetics of the heterogeneous reaction
Viana, M. E., Riul, A., de Carvalho, G. M., Rubira, A. F., & Muniz, E. C. (2011) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2011.07.031 · Cited by 154 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There are three main chemical degradation methods for PET; hydrolysis (acid, neutral, or alkaline), alcoholysis (Oakley et al. 1993), and glycolysis (Viana et al. 2011).”
MethodKosmidis, V. A., Achilias, D. S., & Karayannidis, G. P. (2001) · Macromolecular Materials and Engineering · doi:10.1002/1439-2054(20011001)286:10 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Recycling textiles: the use of ionic liquids in the separation of cotton polyester blends
Silva, R. D., Wang, X., & Byrne, N. (2014) · RSC Advances · doi:10.1039/c4ra04306e · Cited by 115 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Dissolving cotton has also been proposed using different solvents, such as ionic liquids or N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO), and separating the two components with filtration (De Silva et al. 2014; Jeihanipour et al. 2010).”
BackgroundWang, Y. (2006) · Woodhead Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1533/9781845691424 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Paliwal, N. R., & Mungray, A. K. (2013) · Polymer Degradation and Stability · doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2013.06.030 · Cited by 92 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundA review on synthesis of value added products from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste
Dutt, K., & Soni, R. K. (2013) · Polymer Science Series B · doi:10.1134/s1560090413070075 · Cited by 90 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundA new methodology to recycle polyester from fabric blends with cellulose
Ouchi, A., TOIDA, T., Kumaresan, S., et al. (2009) · Cellulose · doi:10.1007/s10570-009-9358-1 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Chemical and ultrastructural changes in cotton cellulose induced by laundering and textile use
Palme, A., Idström, A., Nordstierna, L., & Brelid, H. (2014) · Cellulose · doi:10.1007/s10570-014-0434-9 · Cited by 64 · cited 1× · see citing works
“If this process was to be implemented, discarded sheets would be used, and they would probably have a lower intrinsic viscosity since laundering is well known to decrease the intrinsic viscosity of cotton (Palme et al. 2014).”
MethodSelf-citationLópez‐Fonseca, R., González-Marcos, M. P., González-Velasco, J. R., et al. (2008) · Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology · doi:10.1002/jctb.2011 · Cited by 61 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Therefore, the phase transfer catalyst should be cationic and have sufficient organic character to be lipophilic, but remain small enough to avoid steric hindrance (López-Fonseca et al. 2009; Polk et al. 1999).”
BackgroundInfluentialPolk, M. B., LeBoeuf, L. L., Shah, M., et al. (1999) · Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering · doi:10.1080/03602559909351593 · Cited by 60 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Therefore, the phase transfer catalyst should be cationic and have sufficient organic character to be lipophilic, but remain small enough to avoid steric hindrance (López-Fonseca et al. 2009; Polk et al. 1999).”
BackgroundRecycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste
Hollins, O. (2006) · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Alkaline hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in presence of a phase transfer catalyst
Das, J., Halgeri, A. B., Sahu, V. D., et al. (2007) · Indian Journal of Chemical Technology · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Polk, M. B., Laboeuf, L. L., Shah, M., et al. (1998) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-0112-5_52 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Kinetics of Glycolysis of Poly (ethylene Terephthalate) by Shrinking-Core Model
Chen, F. F., Wang, G. H., Li, W., et al. (2011) · Advanced materials research · doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.233-235.627 · Cited by 13 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recycling of PET through depolymerization has been extensively studied and reviewed due to the large volumes of PET bottles, which are creating a fast-growing waste problem (Al-Sabagh et al. 2016; Chen et al. 2011; Dutt and Soni 2013; George and Kurian 2014; Geyer et al. 2016; Paliwal and Mungray 2013; Sinha et al. 20…”
BackgroundTowards Recycling of Textile Fibers: Separation and Characterization of Textile Fibers and Blends
Pettersson, A. (2015) · Chalmers Publication Library (Chalmers University of Technology) · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibres
Gupta, V. B., Mukherjee, A. K., & Cameotra, S. S. (1997) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-011-5854-1_12 · Cited by 3 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, only hydrolysis degrades the PET back to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), which are the monomers mainly used in PET production today (Gupta et al. 1997).”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
2 of the 28 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 8
- Asaadi, S., Hummel, M., & Sixta, H. (2015). Regenerated cellulosic fiber from ionic liquid-waste cotton solution by dry-jet wet spinning (Abstracts of Papers, 249th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Denver, CO, United States).
- Bernd, H., & Gerahard, S. (1996). US 5521305 (A) HOECHST AG.
- CIRFS European man-made fibres association. (2016). World man-made fibres production. Retrieved from http://www.cirfs.org/KeyStatistics/WorldManMadeFibresProduction.aspx . Accessed 20 Oct 2016.
- Elander, M., & Ljungkvist, H. (2016). Critical aspects in design for fiber-to-fiber recycling of textiles. Retrieved from http://mistrafuturefashion.com/2016-1-critical-aspects/ . Accessed 20 Oct 2016.
- Hatch, K. L. (1993). Textile science. Minneapolis/Saint Paul: West Publishing Company.
- International Fabricare Institute. (1995). Alkaline hydrolysis of polyester (IFI Bulletin, p. 30).
- Negulescu, I. I., Kwon, H., Collier, B. J., Collier, J. R., & Pendse, A. (1998). Recycling cotton from cotton/polyester fabrics. Textile Chemist and Colorist, 30(6), 31–35.
- Oakley, E. O., Gorman, F. J., & Mason, J. D. (1993). US 5236959. Hoechst Celanese Corp.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review
Sandin, G., & Peters, G. M. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.266 · Cited by 1,087 · see citing works
“Polymer, oligomer and monomer recycling is, however, hindered by a lack of technologies for sorting and separation into pure enough fractions (€Ostlund et al., 2015), although there have recently been significant breakthroughs in the separation of cotton/polyester blends (Palme et al., 2017).”
BackgroundRibul, M., Lanot, A., Pisapia, C. T., Purnell, P., McQueen‐Mason, S. J., & Baurley, S. L. (2021) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129325 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Upcycling of cotton polyester blended textile waste to new man-made cellulose fibers
Haslinger, S., Hummel, M., Anghelescu‐Hakala, A., et al. (2019) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2019.07.040 · Cited by 227 · see citing works
“Accordingly, polyester is preferably subjected to alcoholysis, hydrolysis, or glycolysis reactions (Barot and Sinha, 2015; Oakley et al., 1992; Palme et al., 2017; Shen et al., 2013).”
BackgroundEcheverria, C. A., Handoko, W., Pahlevani, F., et al. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.227 · Cited by 216 · see citing works
Recent advances in recycling technologies for waste textile fabrics: a review
Baloyi, R. B., Gbadeyan, O. J., Sithole, B. B., & Chunilall, V. (2023) · Textile Research Journal · doi:10.1177/00405175231210239 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Strategies and progress in synthetic textile fiber biodegradability
Egan, J., & Salmon, S. (2021) · SN Applied Sciences · doi:10.1007/s42452-021-04851-7 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Chemical recycling of mixed textile waste
Andini, E., Bhalode, P., Gantert, E., et al. (2024) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.ado6827 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
“%) and light cotton degradation upon prolonged heating rather than catalyst activity are responsible for this mass loss (table S1) ( 23 ).”
Chemical recycling of polyester textile wastes: shifting towards sustainability
Daraï, T. E., ter Halle, A., Blanzat, M., Despras, G., Sartor, V., Bordeau, G., Lattes, A., Franceschi, S., Cassel, S., Chouini–Lalanne, N., et al. (2024) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d4gc00911h · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Production of rayon fibres from cellulosic pulps: State of the art and current developments
Mendes, I. S. F., Prates, A., & Evtuguin, D. V. (2021) · Carbohydrate Polymers · doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118466 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Chemical recycling of monolayer PET tray waste by alkaline hydrolysis
Barredo, A., Asueta, A., Amundarain, I., et al. (2023) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2023.109823 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Sub- and supercritical water for chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate waste
Čolnik, M., Knez, Ž., & Škerget, M. (2020) · Chemical Engineering Science · doi:10.1016/j.ces.2020.116389 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
The Critical Role of Process Analysis in Chemical Recycling and Upcycling of Waste Plastics
Nicholson, S. R., Rorrer, J. E., Singh, A., Konev, M. O., Rorrer, N. A., Carpenter, A. C., Jacobsen, A. J., Román‐Leshkov, Y., & Beckham, G. T. (2022) · Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering · doi:10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100521-085846 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Environmental Prospects for Mixed Textile Recycling in Sweden
Peters, G. M., Sandin, G., & Björn (2019) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b01742 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Seoud, O. A. E., Kostag, M., Jedvert, K., & Malek, N. I. (2020) · Macromolecular Materials and Engineering · doi:10.1002/mame.201900832 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Progress toward Circularity of Polyester and Cotton Textiles
Wang, S., & Salmon, S. (2022) · Sustainable Chemistry · doi:10.3390/suschem3030024 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Loo, S., Yu, E., & Hu, X. (2023) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2023.110482 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Closed-loop utilization of polyester in the textile industry
Chen, Z., Sun, H., Kong, W., Chen, L., & Zuo, W. (2023) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d3gc00407d · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Strategies of Recovery and Organic Recycling Used in Textile Waste Management
Wojnowska‐Baryła, I., Bernat, K., & Zaborowska, M. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19105859 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
“To hydrolyze the PET in polycotton, Palme [40] evaluated a straightforward lab-scale process.”
BackgroundMethodChoudhury, K., Tsianou, M., & Alexandridis, P. (2024) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su16146206 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Abbas‐Abadi, M. S., Tomme, B., Goshayeshi, B., Mynko, O., Wang, Y., Roy, S., Kumar, R., Baruah, B., Clerck, K. D., Meester, S. D., et al. (2025) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym17050628 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
From Plastic Waste to Green Hydrogen and Valuable Chemicals Using Sunlight and Water
Nguyen, T. K. A., Trần‐Phú, T., Daiyan, R., Ta, X. M. C., Amal, R., & Tricoli, A. (2024) · Angewandte Chemie International Edition · doi:10.1002/anie.202401746 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Kahoush, M., & Kadi, N. (2022) · Sustainable materials and technologies · doi:10.1016/j.susmat.2022.e00513 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Tanveer, R., Yasar, A., Nizami, A., & Tabinda, A. B. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135366 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Textile production by additive manufacturing and textile waste recycling: a review
Fan, W., Wang, Y., Liu, R., Zou, J., Yu, X., Liu, Y., Zhi, C., & Meng, J. (2024) · Environmental Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1007/s10311-024-01726-2 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Das, A. K., Hossain, M. F., Khan, B. U., Rahman, M. M., Asad, M. A. Z., & Akter, M. (2025) · SPE Polymers · doi:10.1002/pls2.10171 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Report of the Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable on Chemical Upcycling of Polymers
Britt, P. F., Coates, G. W., Winey, K. I., Byers, J. A., Chen, E., Coughlin, B., Ellison, C. J., Garcı́a, J. M., Goldman, A. S., Guzmán, J., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2172/1616517 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Solid‐State Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Mixed PET/Cotton Textiles**
Kaabel, S., Arciszewski, J., Borchers, T. H., Therien, J. P. D., Friščić, T., & Auclair, K. (2022) · ChemSusChem · doi:10.1002/cssc.202201613 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Chen, L., Shi, S., Hou, W., et al. (2019) · Polymer Degradation and Stability · doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2019.01.022 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
An efficient recycling process of glycolysis of PET in the presence of a sustainable nanocatalyst
Guo, Z., Lindqvist, K. M., & de la Motte, H. (2018) · Journal of Applied Polymer Science · doi:10.1002/app.46285 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Papamichael, I., Voukkali, I., Economou, F., Loizia, P., Demetriou, G., Esposito, M., Naddeo, V., Liscio, M. C., Sospiro, P., & Zorpas, A. A. (2023) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117716 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Adsorption of bisphenol A by activated carbon developed from PET waste by KOH activation
Gómez-Serrano, V., Adame-Pereira, M., Alexandre-Franco, M. F., & Fernández-González, C. (2020) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-020-08428-6 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“, ester bonds of PET are cleaved by the nucleophilic attack of hydroxide ions under the formation of the di-potassium terephthalate salt and ethylene glycol, which are both soluble in the aqueous phase (Palme et al. 2017).”
BackgroundRecycling of textile wastes, by acid hydrolysis, into new cellulosic raw materials
Costa, C., Viana, A., Silva, C., et al. (2022) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2022.08.019 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Giraldo‐Narcizo, S., Guenani, N., Sánchez‐Pérez, A. M., & Guerrero, A. (2022) · ChemBioChem · doi:10.1002/cbic.202200503 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
The Growing Problem of Textile Waste Generation—The Current State of Textile Waste Management
Wojnowska‐Baryła, I., Bernat, K., Zaborowska, M., et al. (2024) · Energies · doi:10.3390/en17071528 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
“Palme et al. [56] processed textiles containing these fibers by de ‐ grading PET to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), thus generating three product streams: TPA, cotton, and a filtrate that contained the process chemicals and EG.”
BackgroundCircularity in textile waste: Challenges and pathways to sustainability
Biyada, S., & Urbonavičius, J. (2025) · Cleaner Engineering and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.clet.2025.100905 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Catalytic Fabric Recycling: Glycolysis of Blended PET with Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia
Yang, Y., Sharma, S., Bernardo, C. D., et al. (2023) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c03114 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Dissolving-grade pulp: a sustainable source for fiber production
Quintana, E., Valls, C., & Roncero, M. B. (2024) · Wood Science and Technology · doi:10.1007/s00226-023-01519-w · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Yang, K., Wang, M., Wang, X., et al. (2024) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c07707 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Muangmeesri, S., Baddigam, K. R., Navaré, K., Apostolopoulou‐Kalkavoura, V., Witthayolankowit, K., Håkansson, H., Mathew, A. P., Acker, K. V., & Samec, J. S. M. (2024) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c07435 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Wang, X., An, W., Du, R., Tian, F., Yang, Y., Zhao, X. F., Xu, S., & Wang, Y. (2023) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2023.109434 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Anglou, E., Ganesan, A., Chang, Y. A., Gołąbek, K. M., Fu, Q., Bradley, W., Jones, C. W., Sievers, C., Nair, S., & Boukouvala, F. (2023) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2023.148278 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Peterson, A., Wallinder, J., Bengtsson, J., et al. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su14127272 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Self-citationEnvironmental assessment of Swedish clothing consumption – six garments, sustainable futures
Sandin, G., Roos, S., Björn, et al. (2019) · Chalmers Research (Chalmers University of Technology) · doi:10.13140/rg.2.2.30502.27205 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Enzymatic textile recycling – best practices and outlook
Piribauer, B., Bartl, A., & Ipsmiller, W. (2021) · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · doi:10.1177/0734242x211029167 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Methods for Natural and Synthetic Polymers Recovery from Textile Waste
Ștefan, D. S., Boșomoiu, M., & Ștefan, M. (2022) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym14193939 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“Palme et al. (2017) used a treatment with NaOH at temperatures ranging from 70 to 90 °C to separate cotton and PET (poly (ethylene terephthalate), polyester) from mixed textiles.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialOpportunities and Limitations in Recycling Fossil Polymers from Textiles
Bianchi, S., Bartoli, F., Bruni, C., Fernandez-Avila, C., Rodríguez-Turienzo, L., Mellado‐Carretero, J., Spinelli, D., & Coltelli, M. (2023) · Macromol—A Journal of Macromolecular Research · doi:10.3390/macromol3020009 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“According to Palme from Chalmers University of Technology, four approaches can be followed to deal with polycotton waste streams [142]: (1) Dissolve cellulose, maintain PET; (2) Degrade cellulose, maintain PET; (3) Maintain cellulose, dissolve PET; (4) Maintain cellulose, degrade PET.”
MethodBoondaeng, A., Keabpimai, J., Srichola, P., et al. (2023) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym15081964 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“The alkali hydrate can m dify the structure of textile wa te by depolymerizing PET, penetrating the amorphous region of cellulose, causing cellulose swell, and reducing its crystallinity, [24,34].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAdvances in catalytic chemical recycling of synthetic textiles
Moreno‐Marrodán, C., Brandi, F., Barbaro, P., & Liguori, F. (2024) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d4gc04768k · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Kinetics Study of Hydrothermal Degradation of PET Waste into Useful Products
Čolnik, M., Pečar, D., Knez, Ž., Goršek, A., & Škerget, M. (2021) · Processes · doi:10.3390/pr10010024 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
The Current State-of-the-Art of the Processes Involved in the Chemical Recycling of Textile Waste
Ndagano, U. N., Cahill, L., Smullen, C., Gaughran, J., & Kelleher, S. M. (2025) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules30020299 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“Most of the reported recycling technologies targeting blended textile have only been conducted in small-scale projects, with Palme et al. developing a lab-scale efficient route for the combined recycling of cotton and PET from polycotton [135].”
Closing the cycle: Enzymatic recovery of high purity glucose and polyester from textile blends
Gritsch, S. M., Mihalyi, S., Bartl, A., Ipsmiller, W., Jenull-Halver, U., Putz, R. F., Quartinello, F., & Guebitz, G. M. (2022) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106701 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Shen, C., Zhao, X. S., Long, Y., et al. (2023) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c07413 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Enzymatic textile fiber separation for sustainable waste processing
Egan, J., Wang, S., Shen, J., Baars, O., Moxley, G. W., & Salmon, S. (2023) · Resources Environment and Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.resenv.2023.100118 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Jiang, S., Xia, Z., Farooq, A., et al. (2021) · Cellulose · doi:10.1007/s10570-021-03738-5 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“…of polyester and cotton (Zou et al. 2011), and (2) to recover polyester or cotton separately according to their different chemical properties, such as dissolution (Sun et al. 2013), hydrothermal separation (Shi et al. 2018), hydrolysis (Palme et al. 2017), and enzymolysis (Quartinello et al. 2018).”
BackgroundBengtsson, J., Peterson, A., Idström, A., et al. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su14116911 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
“Selective depolymerization of PET from cellulose/PET blends has been reported as an attractive opportunity to separate and recover the blend components for further processing into value-added products [8,9].”
BackgroundSelf-citationMcCauley, E., & Jestratijevic, I. M. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15021473 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Tearing of post-consumer cotton T-shirts and jeans of varying degree of wear
Aronsson, J., & Persson, A. L. (2020) · Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics · doi:10.1177/1558925020901322 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“This study evaluates how fibre length distribution alters upon tearing of post-consumer cotton waste of two different constructions: denim and single jersey; and different degrees of wear, rendering four different fractions: (1) barely worn denim, (2) rather worn denim, (3) barely worn single-jersey and (4) rather wor…”
BackgroundMethodTextile waste as precursors in nanocrystalline cellulose synthesis
Vanzetto, A. B., Beltrami, L. V. R., & Zattera, A. J. (2021) · Cellulose · doi:10.1007/s10570-021-03982-9 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“For blended fabrics, namely, those made from natural and synthetic fibers, which correspond to most fabrics produced today, recycling techniques are based on chemical treatments aimed at recovering the constituents (Ouchi et al. 2010; Palme et al. 2017).”
BackgroundMalinverno, N., Schmutz, M., Nowack, B., et al. (2022) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106728 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Nondestructive Recovery of Cotton from Waste Polycotton Textiles by Catalytic Hydrolysis
Wu, Y., Che, Y., Wei, X., et al. (2024) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c02547 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
An, W., An, W., Tian, F., et al. (2020) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c06240 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Recycling of Nanocellulose from Polyester–Cotton Textile Waste for Modification of Film Composites
Srichola, P., Witthayolankowit, K., Sukyai, P., Sampoompuang, C., Lobyam, K., Kampakun, P., & Toomtong, R. (2023) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym15153324 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Subramanya, S. M., Mu, Y., & Savage, P. E. (2022) · ACS Engineering Au · doi:10.1021/acsengineeringau.2c00024 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Chen, Y., Wu, X., Wei, J., Wu, H., & Fang, J. Z. (2020) · Polymer Composites · doi:10.1002/pc.25814 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Esmail, A., Rebocho, A. T., Marques, A. C., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · doi:10.3389/fbioe.2022.853322 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“Since TA is only soluble in neutral to basic solutions (Palme et al., 2017), insoluble particles formed and became impregnated into the synthesized BC pellicles.”
BackgroundMa, J., Yang, K., Wang, M., et al. (2024) · Cellulose · doi:10.1007/s10570-024-06182-3 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“The filtrate mainly contained EG and BTBAC, and at the same time, the recovery separation yield of cotton cellulose was 97% (Palme et al. 2017).”
Applications and environmental impact of biodegradable polymers in textile industry: A review
Razzaq, S., Shahid, S., & Nawab, Y. (2024) · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136791 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
From Waste to Value: Advances in Recycling Textile-Based PET Fabrics
Mohtaram, F., & Fojan, P. (2025) · Textiles · doi:10.3390/textiles5030024 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Surface coated cellulose fibres as a biobased alternative to functional synthetic fibres
Wright, T., Mahmud‐Ali, A., & Bechtold, T. (2020) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123857 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Nason, A. K., Jerozal, R. T., Milner, P. J., et al. (2022) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c05496 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Baloyi, R. B., Sithole, B. B., & Chunilall, V. (2024) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym16111495 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“…without separating polyester and cotton, as proposed by Zou et al. [4], while the other method involves recovering polyester or cotton individually based on their distinct chemical properties, including dissolution [5–7], hydrothermal separation [8–10], hydrolysis [11,12], and enzymolysis [13,14].”
MethodJain, A., & Connon, S. J. (2025) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d5gc01183c · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Wawer, J., Panuszko, A., Kozłowski, D., Juniewicz, J., Szymikowski, J., & Brodnicka, E. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app15105322 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
A facile approach towards recycling of polyurethane coated PET fabrics
Vaishali, M., Gopal, S., & Sreeram, K. J. (2024) · RSC Sustainability · doi:10.1039/d4su00136b · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Textiles production and end-of-life management options
Bartl, A. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-817880-5.00010-4 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Khan, A. A., Iftikhar, K., Saleem, D., & Akhtar, S. (2022) · Journal of Natural Fibers · doi:10.1080/15440478.2022.2095551 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“The aforementioned uses of polyester fiber and the problems associated with its manufacturing make it imperative to recycle the polyester fiber to curb the adverse environmental effects and meet the ever-increasing demands of the clothing market (Palme et al. 2017).”
BackgroundAnderson, L. B., Molloy, C., Pedrini, L., Martin, I. L., & Connon, S. J. (2024) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d4gc05070c · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Baloyi, R. B., Sithole, B. B., & Moyo, M. (2025) · Polymer Degradation and Stability · doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111261 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Nahar, S. S., Rahaman, M. S., Samadder, R., et al. (2022) · Advances in Polymer Technology · doi:10.1155/2022/4325506 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Cotton is a natural linear cellulosic fiber that contributes to softness and high-water absorbency [8].”
BackgroundGadkari, R. R., Gupta, A., Teke, U., et al. (2021) · Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.jiec.2021.04.031 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Textile Recycling’s Hidden Problem: Surface-Modified Fiber Fragments Emitted at Every Stage
Manivannan, A. C., Panneerselvan, L., Kandaiah, R., Ravindran, A., Nachimuthu, G., Conaty, M., & Palanisami, T. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c01854 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Investigating how the dye colour is impacted when chemically separating polyester-cotton blends
Rosson, L., Wang, X., & Byrne, N. (2023) · Journal of the Textile Institute · doi:10.1080/00405000.2023.2201977 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“Techniques used have involved either dissolution or depolymerisation of polyester whilst attempting to retain the cotton (Palme et al., 2017; Ling et al., 2019; Motte & Palme, 2019) or cotton dissolution/degradation whilst attempting to retain the polyester (Ouchi et al., 2010; De Silva et al.,…”
BackgroundLi, M., Chen, W., & Chen, S. (2024) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.157778 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Hou, W., Tunáková, V., Shi, H., et al. (2025) · Polymer Testing · doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108874 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Development and Production of Moderate-Thermophilic PET Hydrolase for PET Bottle and Fiber Recycling
Matsuzaki, T., Saeki, T., Yamazaki, F., et al. (2025) · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering · doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c01602 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Hydrolytic-Assisted Fractionation of Textile Waste Containing Cotton and Polyester
Villar, L., Pita, M., González, B., et al. (2024) · Fibers and Polymers · doi:10.1007/s12221-024-00602-8 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Two main approaches can be found in literature: removing PET fibers from the textile blend by degradation on its monomers or maintaining PET and promoting cotton separation by its degradation or selective dissolution [4].”
InfluentialCan mixed plastics be recycled and upcycled without separation?
Pang, J. J. M., Lee, Y. H., Zhao, H., Ong, A., & Lim, J. Y. C. (2025) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/d5gc03714j · Cited by 12 · see citing works
A greener approach for physical separation of polycotton textile waste
Khoo, Y. S., Liang, Y. N., Hu, X., et al. (2024) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2024.114281 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Loshin, A., Samarina, T. O., Vepsäläinen, V., Tervonen, A., & Laatikainen, O. (2025) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2025.114966 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
A study on microwave-assisted chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste
Allaf, A. W., Lafi, A. G. A., AL-Zier, A., et al. (2024) · Journal of Polymer Research · doi:10.1007/s10965-024-03883-y · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“The spectra clearly indicated that the targeted recycling products were selectively obtained as all peaks and integrals matched well with the expected results and the spectra were generally very clean indicating no contaminants or by-products [7, 23].”
Pavlopoulou, K. E., Hrůzová, K., Kahoush, M., et al. (2024) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym16213008 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Lamoudan, H., Abenghal, L., Belosinschi, D., Brouillette, F., Dolez, P. I., Panneton, R., & Fonrouge, C. (2024) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym16233242 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Stipanović, H., Koinig, G., Fink, T., et al. (2025) · Recycling · doi:10.3390/recycling10040152 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Fibre-to-Fibre Recycling in Textiles: Strategies, Limitations and Industrial Perspectives
Silva, A. C., Barreiros, M. P., Azevedo, T., Brás, D. R., Teixeira, M. A., Fangueiro, R. M. E. S., & Ferreira, D. P. (2026) · Textiles · doi:10.3390/textiles6010030 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Decision-making Algorithm for Waste Recovery Options. Review on Textile Waste Derived Products
Zandberga, A., Kalniņš, S. N., & Gušča, J. (2023) · Environmental and Climate Technologies · doi:10.2478/rtuect-2023-0011 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
An Observation on Dyeing Techniques of Polyester/Cotton Blended Fabrics Using Various Dyes
Hassabo, A. G., Shaker, S., Khaleed, N., et al. (2024) · Journal of Textiles Coloration and Polymer Science · doi:10.21608/jtcps.2023.221101.1209 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Polyester adds its excellent durability whereas cotton offers the cloth softness and significant water absorption [33].”
BackgroundSu, H., Wu, Y., Pan, J., et al. (2024) · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · doi:10.1016/j.psep.2024.02.068 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Depolymerization of Polycotton‐Blended Fabrics: Challenges and Opportunities
Rosini, E., Rocca, J. J. G., Loro, C., Broggini, G., & Pollegioni, L. (2025) · ChemSusChem · doi:10.1002/cssc.202502002 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Under these conditions, the PET component was completely degraded, and the cotton fibers were fully recovered, confirming the selective depolymerization of PET in blended textiles [45].”
Circular Economy in the Textile Industry: A Review of Technology, Practice, and Opportunity
Parnell, K., Rolston, A., Hilton, B., et al. (2025) · Recycling · doi:10.3390/recycling10060225 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Cao, W. Q., Li, Q., & Wu, C. (2021) · e-Polymers · doi:10.1515/epoly-2022-0008 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Palme, A., Peterson, A., de la Motte, H., Theliander, H., & Brelid, H.
- Affiliations
- Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
- Södra Skogsägarna (Sweden) (SE)
- Venue
- Textiles and Clothing Sustainability
- Published
- 2017-02-22
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2197-9936 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2591428436
- Semantic Scholar
- 4a1bcf8c259373526921c5e098c894c4c4804678
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 2.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Textiles and Clothing Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Chalmers Research (Chalmers University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Chalmers Publication Library (Chalmers University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- MISTRA
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
- Keywords
- PET hydrolysis, textile recycling, chemical recycling, polyesters, terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, phase transfer catalyst, NaOH hydrolysis, cellulose degradation, intrinsic viscosity
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
