RECYCLING COTTON FROM COTTON/POLYESTER FABRICS

Recycling of cotton (or rayon) cellulose as lyocell fibers is proposed based on the selective solubility of cellulose in organic Koxides and the selective hydrolysis of polyesters in NaOH solutions. In the first step, the cotton component of a fabric made of 50150 cottonlpolyethylene terephthalate was separated from the polyester by basic hydrolysis of the latter in NaOH solutions. In the second step, the cellulose component from another sample of the same fabric was selectively dissolved in Kmethyl morpholine monohydrate to form a 1-2% cellulose solution. It was then concentrated to a spinable 1517% solution by dissolving the cotton separated in the first step. Lyocell fibers were subsequently spun at 85I 9OC using an advanced capillary 1 extrusion rheometer system.