Andritz has received an engineering order from US textile recycling innovator Circ in anticipation of its first large-scale textile recycling plant.

A plan will now be developed to assess how Circ’s technology can be industrially scaled up and its commercial feasibility.

The plant would be the first to recover both cotton and polyester from blended textile waste.

The majority of fashion waste consists of polyester-cotton blends, which poses a significant challenge to achieving greater circularity. In particular, the separation of cellulosic and synthetic fibres from textile waste has been a major obstacle. Circ’s recycling process can break down polycotton textile waste into its original components – polyester and cotton. The plant which is being planned will process 200 tons of textile waste per day, allowing cotton to be recycled for lyocell production and polyester to be reused for new polyester production.

“We are eager to support Circ in its vision of circularity because the technology they have developed is uniquely suited to solve one of the biggest challenges in fashion waste and recycling,” said Michael Waupotitsch, vice president of textile recycling at Andritz. “With our holistic knowledge in resizing, mechanical separation, hydrothermal processing, the recovery of cellulosic pulp as well as pulp cleaning and drying, we have the right expertise to help the company achieve its goals. Our experience in process development and machinery will help bring this innovative recycling technology to life.”

Andritz has been successfully conducting trials for Circ at the Andritz Fiber R&D Center in Springfield, Ohio, for several years. The successful partnership and recent developments have led to the decision to expand the cooperation.

www.andritz.com