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Enabling textile-to-textile recycling Consumer demand and textile industry targets are driving the circularity agenda, but it is technology that will actually make it happen, writes the team at Andritz Textile Recycling
Conditioning of feed material The first solution the company offers concerns conditioning of the textile waste. This step lays the foundation for the subsequent textile recycling process, whether it is based on mechanical, chemical, combined or other customer-specific treatments. Andritz’s solution – titled Andritz Reject and Recycling – offers single equipment units and complete conditioning systems, from material feed and shredding right up to the finally conditioned material. A landmark was Andritz Reject and Recycling’s order in 2021 from Swedish company Renewcell for a 60,000 tonne/year (t/a) textile recycling line. This featured ADuro shredders for its first large-scale textile-to-textile recycling plant in Sundsvall. At the same time, shredding systems capable of managing volumes of up to 200 tonne/day (t/d) are being developed and optimised in combination with the separation technique, based on trials conducted in the ART Center (Andritz Recycling Technology Center) near Graz, Austria. Complementary to the services of Andritz Reject and Recycling, Andritz Laroche offers a different mechanical conditioning process based on tearing. With more than 2,000 reference projects worldwide offering one of the largest installed bases for textile recycling mills, Andritz Laroche’s
The textile industry must start taking responsibility for its impact on the environment. Clothing is notoriously over-supplied, textile-to-textile circularity has been conspicuously absent and while it might be resold or recycled into cloths or insulation, much of it ends up incinerated or in landfill. But this is changing thanks to media pressure, consumer demand, regulations and technology. Ignorance about the price of fashion is at last being replaced by concern about the impact of textiles on the environment. There is also increasing awareness of the need to make greater use of sustainable raw materials in fibre and textile production. And projects that take recycling a step further into true circularity are flourishing. Jorma Latva-Kokko, vice president mechanical pulping, paper, fibre and recycling division at Andritz, says: “Demand has certainly been a strong driver for the development of circular textile recycling. It’s a mammoth problem, but brands and consumers really are waking up to it.” As part of its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) programme, the Andritz Group provides industrially and economically viable solutions for recycling pre- and post-consumer waste made from natural and synthetic fibres. Following is a round-up of the company’s range of solutions, which span recovery of fibres to chemical modification and preparation for the production of yarn.
mechanical recycling process can be preparatory to the following main options: - Nonwovens production lines - Short staple fibre spinning mills for yarn respinning, with the creation of woven or knitted fabrics including blends of up to 100% recycled fibres - Downstream chemical processes to produce new man-made fibres if required Mechanical recycling for textile-to-textile Elsewhere, Andritz Laroche offers a complete process range of tearing equipment from 50-3,000 kg/hr. This is applicable to almost all types of pre- and post-consumer waste textiles with the aim of maintaining the nature of the original fibres by maximising fibre length, strength and feel. Today, Ne24 and Ne30 yarn counts use 70% recycled cotton fibres in some blends. In addition, the mechanical recycling process uses less water, no chemicals and allows a reduced machinery installation footprint. Nonwovens bring new life to textiles Transformation of recycled textile fibres into technical nonwoven felts is one of the key methods for recycling textiles into new products. And Andritz offers complete nonwoven roll good production lines to process recycled fibres from textile waste. This includes lines such as spunlace, wetlace, needlepunch and airlay processes.
In general, these lines include fibre opening and blending, fine openers and web forming (in which fibres are treated and laid to form a sheet), web bonding
(in which the sheet is entangled/ bonded) as well as slitting and winding equipment. New products, such as
Andritz Reject and Recycling offers single equipment units and complete conditioning systems
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