Investigation of combined alkaline pretreatment and mechanoenzymatic processing for improved valorization of post-consumer textiles

The continuous increase in textile waste, coupled with insufficient recycling and reuse strategies, has led to a growing issue of underutilized raw materials. Mixed textiles account for approximately 50% of global textile waste and commonly consist of tightly woven cotton blended with synthetic fibers, which complicated material separation and recovery. This study presents an integrated approach that combines mechanochemical pretreatment with subsequent mechanoenzymatic processing to valorize such complex waste streams. Using sodium hydroxide during milling enables higher solids loadings and supports efficient processing under moderate conditions. The mechanochemical approach yields glucose recoveries of up to 80.57% after 24 h. Furthermore, coupling mechanochemical and mechanoenzymatic treatment increases glucose yield by approximately 30% within 6 h, compared with conventional treatment strategies. This combined approach offers a scalable and sustainable pathway for converting mixed textile waste into valuable products. The process facilitates the selective recovery of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) while preserving its essential properties, enabling its reuse in subsequent applications or incorporation into established recycling pathways. Beyond the recovery of cellulose as glucose, this technology may enable the selective extraction of PET fibers, providing the basis for more efficient biotechnological processes and promoting enhanced circularity in PET fiber recycling.

Subjects

biocatalysis

cotton textile waste

mechanochemistry

mechanoenzymatic processing

wet milling

DDC Class

660: Chemistry; Chemical Engineering

Funding(s)

Projekt DEAL

Lizenz

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publication version

publishedVersion

Name

ChemSusChem - 2026 - Schaake - Investigation of Combined Alkaline Pretreatment and Mechanoenzymatic Processing for Improved.pdf

Type

Main Article

Size

1.63 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

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Investigation of combined alkaline pretreatment and mechanoenzymatic processing for improved valorization of post-consumer textiles