GRAZ – International technology group Andritz will work with US textile recycling company Circ to develop the latter’s first large-scale textile recycling plant. The plant will recover cotton and polyester from blended textile waste for recycling.
“We remain excited about this continued collaboration with Andritz,” said Conor Hartman, chief operating officer at Circ. “Together, we will commercialise Circ’s innovative recycling process and take another step towards a truly circular fashion industry. With its expertise in engineering and building large-scale process equipment, Andritz is the right partner to help us transform textile waste into recycled fibres on an industrial level.”
Fashion waste is predominantly made up of polyester-cotton blends. Several recyclers are focused on recycling these using chemical methods. None, however, have yet commercialised.
Circ’s recycling technology is said to break down polycotton waste into its original components, polyester and cotton. The planned facility will process 200 tons of textile waste daily, enabling cotton to be recycled into lyocell and polyester to be reused for polyester production, potentially reducing the reliance on virgin raw materials.
Michael Waupotitsch, vice president of textile recycling at Andritz, said: “We are eager to support Circ in their vision of circularity because the technology they have developed is uniquely suited to solve one of the biggest challenges in fashion waste and recycling. With our holistic knowledge in resizing, mechanical separation, hydrothermal processing, and recovery and cleaning of cellulosic pulp, we have the expertise to help them achieve their goals. Our experience in process development and machinery will bring their innovative recycling technology to life.”
For several years, Andritz has been running trials for Circ at its Fibre R&D Centre in Springfield, Ohio, USA. This partnership has culminated in the decision to deepen their cooperation and expand efforts.
