Sustainable Technologies for Fashion and Textiles - Chapter 13: Recycling of plastics into textile raw materials

Elsevier, Sustainable Technologies for Fashion and Textiles, 2020, Pages 311-326
Authors: 
Cyrus A. Tshifularo and Asis Patnaik

The production of plastic using polyolefin fibers has increased due to their availability at a cheaper price and better tensile, physical, and chemical properties. Plastics are either disposed in landfill or offshore after reaching their end of life, therefore, results in plastic waste. The avalanche of plastic waste pollutes the environment due to its non-biodegradability nature. Since landfilling spaces are limited and at the same time adverse environmental impact of the plastics, the new legislative regulations for disposing plastic wastes are encouraged in most countries to recycle waste. This chapter discusses various types of plastic wastes and their recycling methods. Waste recycling will minimize municipal solid waste dominated by bottles produced from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), manufacturing of new raw products, as well as development of new markets. PET waste is recycled mostly into fibers, sheets, and bottles. Various recycling methods such as primary, mechanical, chemical, and quaternary recycling are discussed. Furthermore, life cycle analysis (LCA) has been covered along with recent developments in this chapter.