Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Chemical recycling of post-consumer polyester wastes using a tertiary amine organocatalyst

Researchers developed a metal-free chemical recycling method using a common amine catalyst to break down PET and other polyesters from post-consumer plastic waste — including textiles and multilayer packaging — into reusable monomers with 100% yield. This technique offers a simpler, more efficient path to closing the plastic recycling loop.

2024 Cell Reports Physical Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

From Waste to Value: Advances in Recycling Textile-Based PET Fabrics

This review examines recent advances in recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile fabrics, with a focus on fiber-to-fiber regeneration as a path toward circular textile production. Researchers found that chemical depolymerization methods show particular promise for recovering high-purity monomers suitable for making new textile-grade PET, potentially reducing textile waste that contributes to microplastic pollution.

2025 Textiles 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in catalytic chemical recycling of synthetic textiles

This review examines catalytic chemical recycling methods for breaking down synthetic textiles into their original building blocks. Researchers surveyed both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems that could enable a more circular textile economy. The study suggests that these emerging depolymerization technologies could help address the growing problem of textile waste by allowing synthetic fabrics to be recycled back into new materials.

2024 Green Chemistry 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Developments in Recycling of Polyester Textile Waste

This review examines developments in polyester textile waste recycling, discussing how the fast fashion model has shortened garment lifespans, increased waste, and contributed to microplastic pollution from synthetic fibres. The authors survey mechanical, chemical, and circular economy recycling approaches, highlighting low current recycling rates especially in developing countries and the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption.

2023 Advance Research in Textile Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing the Recycling of Textiles via Efficient Sorting and Molecular Upcycling

Researchers examined advances in textile recycling through efficient sorting and molecular upcycling approaches, addressing the alarming rate of textile waste generation — with global fiber production reaching 124 million tons in 2023 — and the widespread failure of current waste management systems to recycle synthetic fibers effectively.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Current State-of-the-Art of the Processes Involved in the Chemical Recycling of Textile Waste

This review surveys the current state of chemical recycling technologies for textile waste, focusing on how processes like pyrolysis, solvolysis, and enzymatic degradation can break down synthetic fibers back into usable raw materials. The study notes that while chemical recycling holds promise for reducing textile pollution, challenges remain due to the complex mix of dyes, additives, and blended fabrics in real-world clothing waste.

2025 Molecules 17 citations
Article Tier 2

From closet to contaminant to control: Unveiling microplastic sources in household textiles and potential for environmental application

Degraded domestic textile fibers were chemically and thermally activated and tested for dye remediation, with ZnCl₂-activated polyurethane and polyester fibers showing the best removal efficiency (up to 87.7%) for anionic dyes, repurposing textile microplastic waste for environmental cleanup.

2024 Journal of Water Process Engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Textile Recycling’s Hidden Problem: Surface-Modified Fiber Fragments Emitted at Every Stage

Researchers investigated microplastic fiber release during chemical recycling of polyester-cotton blended textiles and found that the dye removal stage generated the highest fiber counts, averaging around 10,055 fibers per gram of textile waste. Alkaline hydrolysis reduced fiber emissions during the treatment stage by nearly 88% compared to acid hydrolysis. The study highlights that textile recycling processes, while essential for sustainability, can themselves be a significant source of microplastic fiber pollution.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

TextileRecycling’s Hidden Problem: Surface-ModifiedFiber Fragments Emitted at Every Stage

Researchers investigated microplastic fiber (MPF) release during chemical recycling of polyester/cotton-blended textiles, finding that the dye removal stage emitted the highest MPF count at nearly 10,055 MPFs per gram, while alkaline hydrolysis reduced MPF release by 87.55% compared to acid hydrolysis during the treatment stage.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

TextileRecycling’s Hidden Problem: Surface-ModifiedFiber Fragments Emitted at Every Stage

Researchers investigated microplastic fiber (MPF) release during chemical recycling of polyester/cotton-blended textiles, finding that the dye removal stage emitted the highest MPF count at nearly 10,055 MPFs per gram, while alkaline hydrolysis reduced MPF release by 87.55% compared to acid hydrolysis during the treatment stage.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

TextileRecycling’s Hidden Problem: Surface-ModifiedFiber Fragments Emitted at Every Stage

Researchers investigated microplastic fiber (MPF) release during chemical recycling of polyester/cotton-blended textiles, finding that the dye removal stage emitted the highest MPF count at nearly 10,055 MPFs per gram, while alkaline hydrolysis reduced MPF release by 87.55% compared to acid hydrolysis during the treatment stage.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Progress of Recycled Polyester in Rheological Performance in Molding, and Economic Analysis of Recycled Fibers in Fashion and Textile Industry

This review examined the recycling performance of polyester fibers and assessed the economic viability of recycled polyester in the fashion and textile industry. Recycled polyester from PET bottles and textile waste showed acceptable rheological properties for fiber production. Expanding recycled polyester use in fashion reduces the need for virgin plastic and addresses the textile industry's substantial microplastic pollution footprint.

2022 IntechOpen eBooks 4 citations
Article Tier 2

In Situ Functionalisation and Upcycling of Post‐Consumer Textile Blends into 3D Printable Nanocomposite Filaments

Researchers developed a one-pot chemo-thermo-mechanical process to convert blended post-consumer textile waste directly into 3D-printable nanocomposite filaments without pre-separation, offering a route to upcycle mixed synthetic garments and reduce textile waste.

2024 Advanced Sustainable Systems 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for Natural and Synthetic Polymers Recovery from Textile Waste

This review examined methods for recovering natural and synthetic polymers from textile waste, highlighting how the fashion industry generates massive microplastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions annually. The authors compared recycling approaches for both natural fibers (cellulose, protein) and synthetic polymers, assessing their environmental trade-offs.

2022 Polymers 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Possibility Routes for Textile Recycling Technology

This review examined possible routes for textile recycling technology, covering chemical, mechanical, and biological methods, and highlighted the urgent need for efficient, cost-effective recycling processes to address the fashion industry's growing environmental impact.

2021 Polymers 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies of Recovery and Organic Recycling Used in Textile Waste Management

This review discusses recovery and organic recycling strategies for post-consumer textile waste, covering acid hydrolysis, ionic liquids, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fiber reclamation approaches. The authors note that multi-material synthetic textiles remain a significant challenge for circular economy recycling due to the difficulty of separating blended fiber types.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Textile Waste Recycling: Emerging Technologies, Environmental Challenges, and Sustainable Solutions

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.

2025 American Journal of Polymer Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Process Optimization of Solvents Assisted Polyethylene Waste Recycling

Researchers optimized solvent-based chemical recycling of polyethylene plastic waste to recover high-quality recycled material. The study demonstrates that chemical recycling can be tuned to maximize yield and quality, offering a scalable alternative to mechanical recycling that degrades plastic properties over time.

2023 FUDMA Journal of Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recyclingof Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)Driven by the Use of Protic Ionic Liquids: A Strategy to MitigateMicroplastic Pollution

Researchers developed a chemical recycling process for polyethylene terephthalate plastic using protic ionic liquids as green solvents, enabling depolymerization under milder conditions than conventional methods. The approach achieved high PET conversion rates and yielded recyclable monomers, offering a more sustainable alternative for addressing PET waste and associated microplastic pollution.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

A novel method for the isolation, characterisation, and quantification of nanoplastic fibres released from synthetic textiles during laundering

Researchers developed a novel method for isolating, characterising, and quantifying nanoplastic fibres (NPFs) released during laundering of synthetic textiles — including acrylic, nylon, and polyester — enabling fibre size differentiation from the micro to the nano scale. The method addresses a significant gap in textile pollution research by providing a tool to study the understudied nanoplastic fraction of laundry-derived fibre emissions.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Simulation of accelerated ageing of polyester fabric

Researchers simulated accelerated aging of polyester textile fabrics, finding that synthetic fiber degradation — driven by fast fashion, consumerism, and environmental exposure — contributes to microplastic pollution and raises ecological concerns about the lifecycle of synthetic textiles.

2023 Advanced technologies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Employment of Waste from the Textile Industry for the Production of Nanocomposites Aiming at the Generation of Thermal Shrinkable Films and the Non-Formation of Microplastics

Researchers used recycled textile waste to create nanocomposite materials for making heat-shrinkable films, aiming to reduce microplastic generation compared to conventional plastic films. The approach repurposes discarded clothing into functional materials, addressing both textile waste and the microplastic pollution from degrading synthetic fabrics.

2023 Materials Sciences and Applications 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Catalytic Amounts of an Antibacterial Monomer Enable the Upcycling of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Waste

Scientists developed a new method to recycle PET plastic waste (commonly used in bottles) into high-value antibacterial material using only small amounts of a special monomer. This approach addresses both plastic pollution and the need for antimicrobial materials, while avoiding the biotoxicity problems of traditional metal-based antibacterial agents. The technique represents a promising way to upcycle plastic waste rather than simply discarding it.

2023 Advanced Materials 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Textile recycling- A review

This review examines the growing global textile waste problem and technologies for recycling synthetic and natural fibers. Synthetic textile waste is a major source of microplastic pollution because fibers shed during washing and break down into microplastic fragments in landfills.

2021 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)