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Advances in Circular Economy Frameworks for Textile Waste Management and Next-Generation Bio-Based Fibers
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This review pulls together current research on turning old clothes into new fibers instead of dumping them in landfills, where they release microplastics and pollution. It highlights promising alternatives like fabric made from mushrooms and agricultural waste. Cutting textile waste this way could mean less microplastic contamination in our water, food, and bodies over time.
Abstract: The global textile and apparel industry produces over 92 million tons of solid waste annually, contributing significantly to landfill congestion, microplastic pollution, and atmospheric emissions. Traditional linear economic models—characterized by high-volume production, rapid consumption, and premature disposal—are fundamentally unsustainable given finite natural resources and ecological degradation. This paper evaluates modern circular economy frameworks designed to decouple textile production from virgin resource extraction. We systematically compare current mechanical and chemical textile recycling technologies, focusing on energy metrics, fiber degradation, and process scalability for complex fabric blends (e.g., cotton-polyester). Furthermore, this study explores next-generation bio-based fibers derived from agricultural waste, fungal mycelium networks, and microbial cellulose as viable alternatives to petroleum-derived synthetic polymers. Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) indicators with policy tools like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), this work outlines a comprehensive strategic roadmap toward closed-loop textile ecosystems.
More Papers Like This
Advances in Circular Economy Frameworks for Textile Waste Management and Next-Generation Bio-Based Fibers
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This review paper looks at ways to recycle old clothes and create new plant or fungus based fabrics instead of relying on petroleum based synthetics. This matters because textile waste is piling up in landfills and shedding microplastics into our water, soil, and eventually, the food we eat.
How can we deal with the large amount of microplastics delivered to landfills and released into the environment by fast fashion? A practical valorization approach for mitigating textile fibrous microplastics before affecting the environment.
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Researchers proposed a practical valorization approach for managing fibrous microplastics generated by fast fashion textile waste, addressing the challenge of large volumes of textile microplastics entering landfills and the environment through a circular economy framework to intercept fibers before environmental release.
Textile Waste Recycling: Emerging Technologies, Environmental Challenges, and Sustainable Solutions
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This review synthesizes current knowledge on textile waste recycling, covering mechanical, chemical, and biological recycling technologies alongside environmental challenges and sustainability trade-offs. The authors highlight microfiber shedding and hazardous dye contamination as key barriers to effective textile circularity, and identify emerging solutions including enzymatic processing and closed-loop fiber-to-fiber recycling.
A Systematic Literature Review for Addressing Microplastic Fibre Pollution: Urgency and Opportunities
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastic fibers, tiny synthetic threads released mainly from washing clothes and breaking down plastic products. These fibers have been found in water, air, and even human organs, where they can carry absorbed toxins. The authors call for urgent action to manage fiber pollution at its source and reduce human exposure.
Innovative Textile Recycling and Upcycling Technologies for Circular Fashion: Reducing Landfill Waste and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability
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This systematic review of 95 studies found that circular textile recycling technologies can divert a median of 74% of textile waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 38-49% compared to virgin fiber production. Advanced sorting infrastructure using NIR or FTIR spectroscopy proved decisive, boosting yields by 12-18% in mechanical recycling lines. These findings are relevant to microplastic pollution because textile fiber recycling reduces the volume of synthetic fabrics that shed microplastic fibers during use and disposal.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.