CIRC, based in Danville, Virginia, is partnering with international technology group Andritz, to bring its patented textile recycling technology to commercial scale, drawing on established engineering expertise and world-class equipment.

After many months of successful processing trials in various Andritz research and development facilities, the Austrian-headquartered machine builder will now design and manufacture continuous process equipment for CIRC facilities globally.

CIRC’s technology is capable of separating and recovering mixed polymer streams – specifically any blend of polyester and cotton, which accounts for most fabrics manufactured.

“CIRC’s technology is positioned to capture a significant portion of the global circular textile market, and Andritz can enable that success with our expansive engineering and equipment capabilities,” said Jorma Latva-Kokko, vice president of mechanical pulping at Andritz. “Our international technology group provides plants, systems, equipment and services for various industries all over the globe. We are a global leader in customised engineering for special technologies and also in optimised solutions for mature industry applications.

“Through its robust pilot and commercial production testing assets and optimisation capabilities, Andritz can translate unique technology capabilities into market dominance.”

“Andritz has global reach, depth of expertise, and a solid reputation for executing world-class projects,” added Dr Julie Willoughby, CIRC’s chief scientific officer. “The Andritz team is working shoulder-to-shoulder with CIRC to implement our vision of a circular economy for textiles and beyond. We are delighted with the high competence of Andritz people, and we are beyond excited for our next chapters together.”

The partners have not yet announced a timeline for building and commissioning the first commercial facilities.

At the end of December 2020, Andritz also signed a cooperation agreement to develop the process and equipment solutions for Infinited Fiber Company’s textile fibre regeneration technology.

www.andritz.com

www.circ.earth