Cellulose ‘powder’ boosts cotton yields in pilot

STOCKHOLM – Cellulosic powder generated during the separation of polyester-cotton blends by Hong Kong researchers has been found to increase cotton yields by 20 per cent in a pilot study. As Apparel Insider recently reported, H&M company, Monki, has launched new recycling technology – dubbed the ‘Green Machine’ – which it claims will enable it to become the first brand to fully recycle polyester-cotton textile blends on a large scale.

The work, part of a collaboration with non-profit H&M Foundation and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel (HKRITA), uses a hydrothermal process to separate cotton and polyester blends from each another in a closed cycle.

While the polyester is extracted and used to create new yarns, it was not initially clear what would happen to the cellulose powder generated from the Green Machine, which the researchers claim is “clean and toxic-free.”