System for decolorizing and recovering pure fibers

Abstract

A system for recycling textiles includes: a classification module configured to automatically remove offcuts and classify textiles as a textile stream; the first decoloring system is configured to receive the non-black and white cotton fabric flow and provide a decolored cotton fabric flow; the drying and disinfecting system is configured to provide a disinfected cotton fabric flow and a disinfected polyester fiber fabric flow; a second decoloring system configured to provide a semi-decolored cotton / polyester blend stream; a fabric separation system configured to provide pure polyester fibers; a decoloring system configured to provide a decolored polyester fabric stream; a cotton fiber recycling system configured to receive a decolored or black or white and disinfected cotton fabric and a disinfected denim fabric stream; and a polyester fiber recycling system configured to receive a decolored or black or white and disinfected polyester fabric stream.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This international application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 472,748, filed June 13, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND

[0003] The present subject matter relates generally to a fabric recycling treatment and process. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fabric recycling system that hygienically produces clean, pure, and decolorized textile fibers from colored polyester fibers or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), cotton / PET blends, cotton denim, and cotton textile waste.

[0004] In the past 10 years, textiles have been the fastest growing waste stream in many countries. Unrecycled textiles have resulted in significant waste handling challenges and environmental problems. Despite these challenges, however, textile recycling practices have largely remained ineffective outside of certain limited contexts.

[0005] Textile recycling processes vary depending on the type of fabric being recycled. For example, the process for treating and recycling white cotton fabric is different than the process for treating and recycling non-white cotton / polyester fiber blends. Textile waste must be separated by fabric type before recycling. However, separating textile waste into different waste streams can be problematic, as each waste stream must typically be handled separately once separated, which can require transporting them to different facilities.

[0006] Textile waste is generally separated into three categories: cut waste from factories, pre-consumer waste from brands, and post-consumer waste. Cut waste from factories can be easily separated into individual waste streams based on fabric type and color, as separation can be controlled at the source. In contrast, pre-consumer and post-consumer waste typically involve significant mixing of textiles of different fabric types and colors. Depending on the amount of mixed textiles to be sorted, the process of separating the textiles can be infeasible or even impossible, is time-consuming, and can easily result in fabric types being improperly placed in the wrong fabric stream. Sorting errors of pre-consumer and post-consumer fabrics can cause machine malfunctions, resulting in damage to batches or recycled products.

[0007] In addition to sorting by material, qualified recycled fibers from pre-consumer and post-consumer waste garments need to be thoroughly and hygienically cleaned and decolored. Conventional methods of textile recycling cannot produce qualified clean, hygienic, pure, and decolored textile fibers from colored PET, cotton, or cotton / PET blends either before or after consumer use. Additionally, under conventional recycling techniques, users can only selectively recycle post-consumer textile waste into fibers of pure fibers or single blend fiber components. Thus, the waste of these conventional techniques is significant.

[0008] Finally, conventional methods of textile recycling require different machines to accommodate different fabric types, blends, and colors. Because post-consumer textile waste includes a large number of different fabric types, conventional methods require many separate process lines. It is impractical to use such a complex system to process small amounts of recycled material and / or large streams of a single fabric type, blend, or color.

[0009] Thus, there is a need for a recycling apparatus, system, and method that can efficiently process pre-consumer and post-consumer textile waste, including efficiently separating textile waste into individual fabric streams, and processing multiple such streams to recycle fibers from colored, pure, or blended PET and cotton textile waste with high efficiency / throughput, as described herein. SUMMARY

[0010] To meet the above and other needs, the present disclosure provides a textile recycling system and method that recycles fibers from colored, pure, or blended PET and cotton textile waste into spun yarn, nonwoven fiber, or cellulose fiber. By controlling individual recycling processes within the recycling system, individual processing can be customized to achieve higher throughput to produce sanitized, pure, color sorted, or color removed PET and cotton fibers from pre-consumer and post-consumer textile waste. The textile recycling system of the present application can process a large portion of PET and cotton waste recycling.

[0011] In one embodiment, the textile recycling system of the present application includes a textile pre-processing stage, a textile processing stage, and a fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stage. The textile pre-processing stage includes a sorting subsystem that sorts incoming textile waste into individual streams based on fabric type and color, and includes manual and / or automated scrap removal.

[0012] The textile processing stage includes a single processing treatment for each individual fabric stream. For example, the textile processing stage can include a cotton fabric processing subsystem, a cotton denim fabric processing subsystem, a polyester / cotton blend fabric subsystem, and a polyester fabric processing subsystem. Depending on the condition of the textile, the fabric can be directed to the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stage without processing. Still further, fabrics of other materials such as wool or silk are directed to the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stage without processing.

[0013] In some embodiments, the textile processing stage includes one or more of the following systems: a system for bleaching cotton fabric, a dry sanitization system, a system for bleaching cotton / polyester blend fabric, a hydrothermal separation system, and a system for bleaching polyester fabric.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, a system for recycling textiles includes a sorting module or system configured to sort textiles into the following fabric streams:

[0015] • a black cotton fabric stream;

[0016] • a white cotton fabric stream;

[0017] • a non-black and white cotton fabric stream;

[0018] • a denim cotton fabric stream including dark navy, medium navy, light navy, and black;

[0019] • a cotton / polyester blend fabric stream;

[0020] • a black polyester fabric stream;

[0021] • a white polyester fabric stream; and

[0022] • a non-black and white polyester blend fabric stream.

[0023] In other embodiments, fewer or greater numbers of individual streams can be provided.

[0024] The system also includes subsystems for specific processing steps. For example, a first bleaching system receives the non-black and white cotton fabric stream and provides a bleached cotton fabric stream. A dry sanitization system receives the black cotton fabric stream, the white cotton fabric stream, the denim cotton fabric stream, the black polyester fabric stream, and the white polyester fabric stream and provides a sanitized cotton fabric stream and a sanitized polyester fabric stream. A second bleaching system receives the cotton / polyester blend fabric stream and provides a semi-bleached cotton / polyester blend fabric stream. A fabric separation system receives the semi-bleached cotton / polyester blend fabric stream from the second bleaching system and provides a pure polyester fiber. A bleaching system receives the pure polyester fiber and the non-black and white polyester fabric stream from the fabric separation system and provides a bleached polyester fabric stream.

[0025] In the final recycling stage, the cotton fiber recycling system receives the bleached or black or white and sterilized cotton fabric stream, or the sterilized denim fabric stream, and the polyester fiber recycling system receives the bleached or black or white and sterilized polyester fabric stream. The cotton fiber and polyester fiber recycling systems produce pure recycled cotton and polyester fibers, respectively. In addition, the components of the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stages can be adjusted according to the settings and controls for producing fibers between 1 inch and 2 inches in length or fibers less than 0.25 inches in length.

[0026] In one embodiment, the textile recycling process includes a sorting module, one or more individualized processing treatments, and a mechanical recycling process. The sorting module is configured to receive an incoming textile and sort the incoming textile into individual fabric streams. The one or more individualized processing treatments are configured to receive the individual fabric streams and produce processed fabric streams. Each individualized processing treatment includes one or more of the following subsystems: a cotton decolorizing system; a cotton drying and sterilizing system; a polyester / cotton blend decolorizing system; a polyester / cotton blend fiber separation system; and a polyester decolorizing system. The mechanical recycling process is configured to receive one or more processed fabric streams from the one or more individualized processing treatments and produce recycled fibers of the respective processed fabric streams.

[0027] In another embodiment, the textile recycling system includes a sorting system, one or more individualized processing treatment systems, and a mechanical recycling system. The sorting system can include a manual sorting system and / or a garment sorting system and is configured to receive an incoming textile and sort the incoming textile into individual fabric streams. Each individualized processing treatment system is configured to receive the individual fabric streams and produce processed fabric streams and includes one or more of the following subsystems: a cotton decolorizing system; a cotton drying and sterilizing system; a polyester / cotton blend decolorizing system; a polyester / cotton blend fiber separation system; a polyester decolorizing system. The mechanical recycling system is configured to receive one or more processed fabric streams from the one or more individualized processing systems and produce recycled fibers of the respective processed fabric streams.

[0028] In another embodiment, a textile recycling system includes a sorting module configured to receive a feed textile and sort the feed textile into individual fabric units stored in a storage device; one or more individualized processing treatments, wherein each individualized processing treatment is configured to receive an individual fabric stream from the individual fabric units and produce a processed fabric stream; a piping system including a plurality of pipe lengths; a controller; and a memory. The individualized processing treatments include one or more of the following subsystems: a depigmentation system for cotton; a dry sterilization system for cotton; a depigmentation system for polyester / cotton blends; a fiber separation system for polyester / cotton blends; a depigmentation system for polyester. Further, each pipe length extends between the individual fabric units in the storage device and one or more of each subsystem of the individualized processing treatments, or between two subsystems of the individualized processing treatments. Each pipe length further includes a damper. The controller is in communication with the sorting module, one or more subsystems of the one or more individualized processing treatments, and the piping system. The memory is in communication with the controller and is configured to store program instructions executable by the controller. In response to executing the program instructions, the controller is configured to: receive data from the sorting module indicating an amount of the individual fabric stream in the individual fabric units of the storage device; identify one or more individualized processing treatments for the individual fabric stream, including one or more subsystems for each individualized processing treatment, pipe lengths, and dampers associated with the pipe lengths; modify settings for one or more subsystems of each individualized processing treatment based on the data for the individual fabric stream from the sorting module; operate the piping system to activate one or more subsystems of each individualized processing treatment; operate the piping system to close one or more dampers in the pipe lengths that are not part of the identified one or more individualized processing treatments; and control operation of one or more activated dampers in the pipe lengths that are part of the identified one or more individualized processing treatments.

[0029] In a further embodiment, the controller is further configured to receive user input identifying details related to the feed textile and modify the settings for one or more subsystems of each individualized processing treatment based on the user input.

[0030] In yet another embodiment, the textile recycling system further includes a mechanical recycling system configured to receive the processed fabric stream and produce recycled fibers. The controller is further configured to receive user input identifying a demand for recycled fibers and modify settings of the mechanical recycling system based on the user input.

[0031] It is an object of the present invention to provide an eco-friendly recycling process including automatic fiber composition and color sorting.

[0032] It is another object of the present invention to provide a recycling system comprising a blended fiber component separation method, a fiber depigmentation method and a fiber recycling method.

[0033] An advantage of the present invention is that the system and method processes pure or blended, pre-consumer and post-consumer polyester and cotton textile waste for recycling.

[0034] Another advantage of the present invention is that it enables the processing parameters of each individual process to be optimized, thereby reducing waste of the textile.

[0035] Another advantage of the present invention is that it minimizes waste water.

[0036] Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following specification and drawings. The objects and advantages of the examples can be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, procedures, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments in which:

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic of the textile recycling system of the present application.

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic showing the processing steps of the textile recycling system of the present application.

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic showing the textile pre-processing stage of the textile recycling system of Figure 1

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic showing the cotton non-denim fabric processing subsystem of the textile processing stage of Figure 1

[0042] Figure 5 is a schematic showing the cotton denim fabric processing subsystem of the textile processing stage of Figure 1

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic showing the polyester / cotton blended fabric processing subsystem of the textile processing stage of Figure 1

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic showing the polyester fabric processing subsystem of the textile processing stage of Figure 1 ​​​​​DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Figures 1 to 7 An exemplary textile recycling system 100 is shown. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the textile recycling system 100 includes three main stages: a first stage 102 of textile pre-processing treatment, a second stage 104 of textile processing, and a third stage 106 of fiber recovery and mechanical recycling. The textile recycling system 100 also includes one or more controllers 154 that enable an administrator or operator to control the system of each stage 102, 104, 106 as well as a piping system 158 via which textiles are transported through the system 100. The textile recycling system 100 of the present application allows for greater control over individual processing treatments, thereby allowing the system to be optimized to accommodate both specific starting materials and volumes as well as modifications to the recovery stage 106, which enables control over the final fiber length and quality.

[0046] In particular, the present textile recycling system 100 is capable of classifying incoming textiles or starting materials into individual fabric streams based on fabric type, color, and / or any other distinguishing characteristic, is capable of modifying the settings of individualized processing treatments to accommodate the specific fabric type, color, and volume of the starting material, and is capable of modifying the settings of individualized processing treatments as well as fiber recovery and mechanical recycling treatments to produce recycled fibers of a desired length. This flexible modularity is achieved through the piping system 158 and control of individual components by the textile recycling system 100 as described below.

[0047] Referring to Figure 1 , the textile pre-processing treatment 102, the textile processing treatment 104, and the fiber recovery and mechanical recycling stage 106 of the textile recycling system 100 are in communication with one or more controllers 154 via a communication network 156. The communication link can be wired or wireless.

[0048] The one or more controllers 154 can be adapted to run various applications, access and store data, including accessing and storing data in associated databases, and implement one or more interactions as described herein, including performing the above-described methods and other features. Generally, the controllers are implemented by one or more programmable data processing apparatus. The hardware elements, operating systems and programming languages of such devices are conventional in nature and assumed to be sufficiently familiar to those skilled in the art.

[0049] The one or more controllers 154 can be a central control processing system that utilizes a central processing unit (CPU or processor), memory, and an interconnect bus. The CPU can contain a single microprocessor, or can contain multiple microprocessors that configure the CPU as a multi-processor system. The memory can include a main memory, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a cache memory, as well as a read only memory, such as a PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, or the like. The system can also include any form of volatile or non-volatile memory. In operation, the memory stores at least a portion of the instructions for execution by the CPU and the data upon which the processing is performed in accordance with the executed instructions. The one or more controllers 154 can also include one or more input / output interfaces that communicate with the one or more processing systems. One or more such interfaces can be capable of communicating via a network, such as being capable of electronically sending and receiving instructions.

[0050] The one or more controllers 154 can also include appropriate input / output ports for interconnection with one or more output mechanisms (e.g., a monitor, a touchscreen, a motion sensing input device, or the like) and one or more input mechanisms (e.g., a keyboard, voice, a touchscreen, a biometric device, a magnetic reader, an RFID reader, a bar code reader, a motion sensing input device, or the like) that serve as one or more user interfaces for the controller 154.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the one or more controllers 154 also encompass systems such as mainframe computers, servers, workstations, network terminals, and the like. Moreover, the one or more controllers 154 can be embodied in a device such as a mobile electronic device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer. Indeed, the use of the term controller 154 is intended to represent a broad class of components that are well known in the art. As such, it will be recognized that the use of the term controller 154 can refer to a PC-type embodiment as shown in communication with the communication network 156, or can be any one or more servers or resources as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art based on the teachings provided herein. Figure 1

[0052] ​The various aspects of the systems and methods provided herein include hardware and software for controlling the relevant functions. The software may take the form of code or executable instructions for causing controller 154 or other programmable devices to perform the relevant steps, wherein the code or instructions are carried by controller 154 or other machine, or implemented in a medium readable by controller 154 or other machine. The instructions or code used to perform such operations may be in the form of any form of computer instructions (e.g., source code, object code, interpreted code, etc.) stored in or carried by any tangible readable medium. As used herein, the term "readable medium" for a computer or machine refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such media may take many forms. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical discs or magnetic disks, any storage device in any computer such as those shown in the accompanying drawings. Volatile storage media include dynamic memory, such as the memory of a computer platform. Therefore, common forms of computer-readable media include, for example: floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, any other optical media, RAM, PROMs and EPROMs, FLASH-EPROMs, any other memory chips or cassette tapes, or any other media from which a controller can read programming code and / or data.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 The use of textile pre-processing in textile sorting stage 102 allows for greater control over the purity of raw materials for the recycling system, leading to higher efficiency and recycling of usable products. Automated sorting is efficient at 1 second per garment per machine, compared to approximately 4 seconds per garment per worker for manual processing, which is impossible if the garment no longer contains the correct content or care labels. Energy usage is also optimized.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the textile pre-processing 102 begins with receiving and collecting input materials 150, such as cut fabric waste (or shavings) 150a and pre- and post-consumer garment waste 150b. Input materials 150 can include all garment types, cellulose, polyester, nylon, etc., including deadstock from retailers and post-consumer garments, such as T-shirts, sportswear, jeans, sweaters, tops, trousers, aprons, bedding, raw material, etc.

[0055] Cut fabric 150a typically refers to waste textile material from textile manufacturing facilities. Because this fabric 150a is usually captured in large quantities of the same material, manual sorting is not required. Cut fabric 150a is typically directed to textile storage unit 114. If sorting is required, cut fabric 150a can be directed to manual sorting station 108.

[0056] Pre- and post-consumer garment waste streams 150b typically include discarded clothes, bedding, curtains, or other garments. Garment waste 150b is directed to a manual sorting station 108, where low-value garments and other resold garments are removed. Manual sorting of garment waste 150b may include quality identification and sorting based on garment color and fabric type. Low-value garment waste streams 114n and 114m are removed from pre- and post-consumer garment waste streams 150b and directed to a down-cycling process 129, which is part of the third stage of fiber recycling and mechanical recycling 106.

[0057] The manually sorted pre- and post-consumer garment waste streams 150b are then directed to an automated garment sorting station 110, which separates the garment waste streams 150b into cotton garments, PET garments, and other blended garment waste streams. Optical sorting technologies, such as, but not limited to, Fibersort® garment sorting, can be used to automate industrial-scale textile fiber and color sorting. In one embodiment, the garment waste stream 150b can be divided into base categories of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, and cotton / polyester blends. Within these base categories, individual streams can be further separated according to color, including black, white, non-black and white, black denim, dark navy denim, medium navy, and light navy. Other blended fabric waste streams are directed to a textile storage unit 114, and subsequently to a degradation recycling process 129, which is part of a third stage of fiber recycling and mechanical recycling 106. Some woven textiles may be directed to the textile storage unit 114 and subsequently sent directly for resale.

[0058] The cotton and PET garment streams are then directed to processing station 112 for edge removal. Processing station 112 may include manual components and / or automated edge removal processes, such as robotic AI-driven processes for removing hard-to-handle zippers, buttons, snaps, seams, care labels, tags, and other accessories. Once the edge removal is complete, individual cotton and PET fabric waste streams are directed to textile storage unit 114.

[0059] In one embodiment, individual cotton, PET, and cotton / PET blended textile streams are stored in textile storage unit 114 in unit form based on material base and color. This high level of sorting allows the textile recycling system 100 to appropriately process the fabric streams as needed to produce pure fibers. In the illustrated embodiment, the textiles are divided into the following individual fabric storage units 114a-114o:

[0060] ●100% Black Cotton Fabric Unit 114a includes only black fabrics made of 100% cotton;

[0061] ● 100% White Cotton Fabric Unit 114b includes only white fabrics made of 100% cotton;

[0062] ● 100% Non-Black and White Cotton Fabric Unit 114c includes all non-black and white fabrics made of 100% cotton;

[0063] ● 100% Black Cotton Denim Fabric Unit 114d, comprising black denim fabric made of 100% cotton;

[0064] ● 100% Dark Navy Blue Cotton Denim Fabric Unit 114e includes dark navy blue denim fabric made of 100% cotton.

[0065] ●100% Navy Blue Cotton Denim Fabric Unit 114f includes Navy Blue Denim Fabric made of 100% cotton;

[0066] ● 100% Light Navy Blue Cotton Denim Fabric Unit 114g, comprising light navy blue denim fabric made of 100% cotton;

[0067] ● 100% Polyester / Cotton Blend Fabric Unit 114h, which includes all fabrics made from polyester / cotton blends;

[0068] ●100% Black Polyester Fabric Unit 114i, which includes only black fabric made of 100% polyester;

[0069] ●100% White Polyester Fabric Unit 114j, which includes only white fabrics made of 100% polyester;

[0070] ●100% Non-Black and White Polyester Fabric Unit 114k, which includes all non-black and white fabrics made of 100% polyester;

[0071] ● Other resale units 114m, including other fabrics that cannot be recycled into fibers or downgraded for recycling, which are suitable for resale without treatment;

[0072] ● Other low-value units 114n include other fabrics that cannot be recycled into fibers but are suitable for downgrading and recycling; and

[0073] ● Other blended products 114o, including other fabrics in blended materials that cannot be recycled into fibers but are suitable for downgrading and recycling.

[0074] In some instances, the aforementioned individual fabric flows are categorized based on color, such as "black" and "white." In some cases, "black" refers only to solid black garments, while in others, dark gray can qualify as "black." In some cases, fabric type can influence whether "dark gray" garments fall under the "black" category. Furthermore, "white" garments can encompass a variety of whites, from bright white to off-white. In some instances, the ranges of dark navy denim, medium navy denim, and light navy denim respectively include: pure indigo without fading, classic blue denim with some fading, and light denim with most fading. Finally, polyester / cotton blends can include any balance of cotton and polyester materials.

[0075] Although the above units represent a flow of 100% fabric type, it should be understood that in some cases, unit 114 may include minor variations or small amounts of mismatched fabric.

[0076] By providing a range of modules to accommodate the sorting of highly mixed post-consumer textile waste, the textile recycling system 100 is flexible and suitable for effectively sorting large quantities of mixed textile waste prior to recycling.

[0077] Refer to Figure 2 The second phase 104 of the textile recycling system 100 includes, for example: Figures 4 to 7 The illustrated textile storage device 114 provides individual processing for each individual fabric stream 114a-114k. Specifically, each individual processing includes one or more specific processing methods, such as a drying and sterilization system 120, a cotton decolorization system 116, a cotton / polyester blend decolorization system 122, a cotton / polyester blend separation system 124, and a polyester decolorization system 126. Furthermore, the different systems 116, 120, 122, 124, 126 can be connected to more than one fabric unit 114a-114k, i.e., they can be shared between the various individual processing methods, as described below.

[0078] Individual fabric storage units 114a-114k within the textile storage device 114 are interconnected via a piping system 158 to associated processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, 126, which utilizes airflow to move the textiles from one location to another. The length of each pipe between the individual components (referred to as the pipe length) includes one or more dampers or other mechanical structures controlling the opening or closing of the pipe length. Although Figures 2 to 7 The processing flow of piping system 158 is schematically shown, but it should be understood that each length of the pipes in piping system 158 is not shown.

[0079] The controller 154 of the textile recycling system 100 allows administrators or operators to easily control the setup and operation of the machines at each stage 102, 104, 106, including each processing system 116, 120, 122, 124, 126 and the piping system interconnecting the various components. For example, based on the type and volume of the raw materials, the textile recycling system 100 can optimize the settings of the processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, 126 at textile processing stage 104 to shut down unnecessary systems and appropriately adjust necessary systems to suit the type and volume of raw materials. In one example, if the raw materials consist only of cotton and polyester blended fabrics, the operator can adjust the controller settings to shut down the drying and sterilization system 120, the cotton decolorization system 116, and the PET decolorization system 126.

[0080] For example, the controller can be configured to receive information and adjust individual processing and systems and / or fiber recycling and mechanical recycling processing and systems accordingly. The information may include one or more of the following: user input related to the incoming textiles or raw materials; data from a sorting module or system including details related to a single fabric flow in a single fabric unit of the storage device; and user input including the desired profile or characteristics of recycled fibers produced by the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling processing and systems. The controller can achieve these adjustments by modifying the settings of one or more subsystems for each individual processing and / or mechanical recycling system based on this information. In other embodiments, the controller is configured to receive additional information.

[0081] The controller can also be configured to operate the piping system 158 based on individual processes and systems that are adjusted and / or identified. For example, the controller can be configured to activate one or more subsystems for each personalized process, and / or operate the piping system to close one or more dampers along the pipe length that are not part of one or more identified personalized processes. The controller can also be configured to control the operation of one or more dampers along the pipe length that are part of one or more identified personalized processes. In a further embodiment, the controller can be configured to receive additional information, identify individual components, and operate additional aspects of the textile recycling system 100. In another embodiment, the textile recycling system 100 optimizes the piping system 158 to improve efficiency and reduce energy costs.

[0082] The textile recycling system 100 can also optimize the setup of related processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, 126, as well as cotton recycling treatment 118 and polyester fiber recycling treatment 128, in order to produce recycled fibers of the desired length for the final product.

[0083] In another embodiment, the various components of the textile recycling system 100 can be specified by user settings and control not only to select the desired processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, 126, but also to control the order of the selected components in personalized processing. Although Figures 2 to 7 The process is shown as generally linear; however, it should be understood that the combination and sequence of processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, and 126 may differ from the illustrated embodiment. Furthermore, the piping system allows processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, and 126 to be operated in any combination and sequence as needed, or in any combination and sequence required by a single fabric stream, the desired characteristics of the recycled fibers to be produced from the single fabric stream, or any other factor. For example, an operator may operate a first personalized processing step, which first utilizes fabric separation system 124, followed by decolorization system 126, and then operate a second personalized processing step, which first utilizes decolorization system 126, followed by fabric separation system 124.

[0084] like Figure 2 and Figures 4 to 7 As shown, personalized processing is based on fabric type and color. Typically, each of the drying and sterilization system 120, the cotton decolorization system 116, the cotton / polyester blend decolorization system 122, the separation system 124, and the PET decolorization system 126 generates little or no wastewater. In one embodiment, the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stage 106 utilizes a closed-loop wastewater system to filter and treat wastewater before discharge. Furthermore, the closed loop captures any solids from the wastewater from the recycling stage 106 for return to the textile storage device 114 for recycling.

[0085] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 The embodiments shown depict cotton decolorization system 116 or cotton / polyester blend decolorization system 122 as a drying system that removes cotton color from cotton and polyester / cotton blends without using water. This system is suitable for most cotton products, including reactive dyeing, indigo dyeing, and direct dyeing, and removes more than 90% of the color. In some embodiments, the decolorization system treatment time is approximately 30 minutes to 180 minutes. In alternative embodiments, decolorization systems, such as, but not limited to, bleach-based decolorization systems, can be used.

[0086] The drying and disinfection system 120 is used to remove bacteria and fungi from black, white, and denim cotton fabrics, as well as black and white polyester fabrics. In some exemplary treatments, drying and disinfection using the EN1174 test method resulted in a >90% reduction in microorganisms. The non-limiting exemplary drying and disinfection system 120 utilizes ozone-based disinfection, ultraviolet-based disinfection, or other suitable drying and disinfection treatments. In some embodiments, the drying and disinfection treatment time is approximately 10 to 75 minutes. In a further embodiment, a bleach-based system may be used instead of the drying and disinfection system 120.

[0087] Figure 2 and Figure 6 A fiber separation system 124 is included to separate cotton and polyester blends. In one embodiment, the fiber separation system 124 uses only heat, water, and less than 0.5-10% by weight of a biodegradable green chemical. U.S. Patent No. 11,396,114, which discloses a method for separating and recovering polyester / cotton fabrics via a hydrothermal reaction catalyzed by organic acids, is incorporated herein by reference. This hydrothermal separation method achieves a recovery rate of over 95% of polyester fibers in approximately 0.5 to 3 hours. In other embodiments, the fiber separation system 124 may include any other suitable separation system, such as, but not limited to, glycolysis, methanol decomposition, and hydrolysis.

[0088] In one embodiment, the PET decolorization system 126 utilizes heat, water, and commercially available activated carbon to remove color. Activated carbon acts as a dye adsorbent and can be disposed of as ordinary solid waste. U.S. Patent No. 11,085,148, which discloses a method for decolorizing textile materials using a dye adsorbent under hydrothermal conditions, is incorporated herein by reference. The activated carbon system achieves color removal of over 95%. In some embodiments, the chemical treatment time is approximately 0.5 hours to 8 hours. In other embodiments, the decolorization system 126 may utilize methods other than activated carbon to remove color from polyester fabrics, such as, but not limited to, bleach-based decolorization methods.

[0089] Figures 4 to 7 The processing of each individual fabric stream in the second stage 104 and the fiber recycling and mechanical recovery of each individual fabric stream in the third stage 106 are illustrated. It can be understood that, although... Figures 4 to 7The diagram illustrates individual discharge lines from certain systems 120; however, it is understood that throughout the textile processing stage 104 and the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stage 106, individual processing remains personalized to produce a final fiber product of a single fabric type and color. For example, individual fabrics 114a to 114k may use the same processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, and 126, but any multiple fabric streams 114 may use the same processing systems 116, 120, 122, 124, and 126 at different times to maintain fiber separation, implying personalized fabric streams. However, in some embodiments, it may be necessary to combine individual fabric streams. This combination can be achieved through user input provided to controller 154 to control the piping system.

[0090] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The processing methods for cotton fabrics 114a to 114c are shown. (Refer to...) Figure 4 Non-black and white cotton fabrics 114c from textile storage unit 114 are guided to the first decolorization system 116, which provides a decolorized fabric stream, and then to the cotton recycling system 118. Black cotton fabrics 114a and white cotton fabrics 114b are guided to the drying and disinfection system 120, which provides a disinfected cotton fabric stream, and then to the cotton recycling system 118. Denim cotton fabrics are also guided to the drying and disinfection system 120, and then to the cotton recycling system 118, as... Figure 5 As shown.

[0091] like Figure 6 As shown, the polyester / cotton blended fabric 114d is first treated in a second decolorizing system 122 for cotton / polyester to provide a semi-decolorized cotton / polyester fabric stream, and then directed to a fiber separation system 124 to chemically separate the cotton from the polyester. The pure polyester or PET fibers from the fiber separation system 124 are then directed to a PET decolorizing system 126, which produces decolorized polyester fibers. The decolorized polyester fibers are then directed to a polyester fiber recycling system 128. In the fiber separation system 124, the cotton fibers are converted into cellulose powder for other applications.

[0092] Figure 7The processing of a 100% polyester fabric stream is illustrated. In some embodiments, 100% black and white polyester fabrics are first directed to a drying and sterilization system 120, which provides a sterilized polyester fabric stream, and then directed to a polyester fiber recycling system 128. In other embodiments, the 100% black and white polyester fabrics are directly directed to the polyester fiber recycling system 128. Non-black and white polyester fabrics are processed by a decolorizing system 126 for PET, thereby producing a decolorized polyester fabric stream, which is directed to the polyester fiber recycling system 128.

[0093] The third phase of fiber recycling and mechanical recycling includes 106 Figure 2 and Figures 4 to 7 The cotton fiber recycling system 118 and polyester recycling system 128 are shown. The fiber recycling and mechanical recycling systems 118 and 128, used to produce textiles and garments for spinning, do not use hazardous chemicals and minimize or eliminate waste. In some embodiments, cotton is processed in a first production line and polyester is processed in a second production line. The processed fibers may be stored in units 160a to 160k and / or may be compressed into bales. In some embodiments, the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling processing time is from 1 minute to 60 minutes.

[0094] As described above, the fiber recycling and mechanical recycling stages 106 can be controlled to produce fibers of a specific length. For example, in fiber recycling processes 118, 128, the processed fabric is opened and cut to a specific length. Typically, the fiber length is about 0.25 inches. In some embodiments, the operator of the textile recycling system 100 can modify settings associated with personalized processing and components 104 and the mechanical recycling stage 106 via computer 124 to produce recycled fibers with lengths of 1 inch to 2 inches.

[0095] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its associated advantages.

Claims

1. A textile recycling process, comprising: A classification module is configured to receive incoming textiles and classify the incoming textiles into individual fabric streams. One or more personalized processing steps, wherein each personalized processing step is configured to receive a single fabric stream and produce a processed fabric stream, and wherein each personalized processing step includes one or more of the following subsystems: Cotton decolorization system; Cotton drying and sterilization system; Decolorization system for polyester / cotton blends; Fiber separation systems for polyester / cotton blends; and Polyester decolorization system; and Mechanical recycling processes are configured to receive one or more processed fabric streams from the one or more personalized processing processes and produce recycled fibers from the corresponding processed fabric streams.

2. The textile recycling system according to claim 1, wherein, The classification module includes a manual classification system and a clothing classification system.

3. The textile recycling system according to claim 2, wherein, The manual sorting system separates low-value garments and blends from the incoming textiles.

4. The textile recycling system according to claim 2, wherein, The garment classification system separates the incoming textiles by textile type, color, and blend.

5. The textile recycling system according to claim 2, wherein, The classification module also includes an automatic edge removal system.

6. The textile recycling system according to claim 1, wherein, The individual fabric flow includes cotton flow, polyester flow, and cotton / polyester blend flow.

7. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, The individual fabric streams include black cotton streams, white cotton streams, non-black and white cotton streams, denim cotton streams, black polyester streams, white polyester streams, non-black and white polyester streams, and polyester / cotton blend streams.

8. The textile recycling system according to claim 7, wherein, The denim cotton streams include black denim cotton streams, dark navy blue denim cotton streams, medium navy blue denim cotton streams, and light navy blue denim cotton streams.

9. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, Individual processing steps for both black and white cotton streams include a cotton drying and sterilization system.

10. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, Individual processing steps for non-black and white cotton streams include cotton decolorization systems.

11. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, A single processing procedure for polyester / cotton blended products includes a decolorization system for the cotton / polyester blend, the fiber separation system, and a decolorization system for the polyester.

12. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, The individual processing steps for both the black polyester stream and the white polyester stream include the drying and sterilization system.

13. The textile recycling system according to claim 6, wherein, The individual processing steps for both the black polyester stream and the white polyester stream include the drying and sterilization system.

14. The textile recycling system of claim 1 further includes a storage device configured to store a single fabric stream in a single unit, the textile recycling system further including a piping system comprising a plurality of pipe lengths, each pipe length extending between the single fabric unit in the storage device and one or more of the subsystems of the personalized processing.

15. The textile recycling system according to claim 1, wherein, The recycled fibers have a length of approximately 1 inch to approximately 2 inches.

16. A textile recycling system, comprising: A sorting module is configured to receive incoming textiles and sort the incoming textiles into individual fabric units stored in a storage device. One or more personalized processing steps, wherein each personalized processing step is configured to receive a single fabric stream from a single fabric unit and produce a processed fabric stream, and wherein the personalized processing step includes one or more of the following subsystems: Cotton decolorization system; Cotton drying and sterilization system; Decolorization system for polyester / cotton blends; Fiber separation systems for polyester / cotton blends; and Decolorization system for polyester; A piping system comprising a plurality of pipe lengths, each pipe length extending between a single fabric unit in the storage device and one or more of each subsystem of the personalization process, or extending between two subsystems of the personalization process, wherein each pipe length includes a damper; The controller communicates with the classification module, one or more subsystems of the one or more personalized processing, and the pipeline system; A memory that communicates with the controller, wherein the memory is configured to store program instructions executable by the controller, wherein, in response to executing the program instructions, the controller is configured to: Receive data from the classification module indicating the amount of a single fabric flow in a single fabric unit of the storage device; Identify one or more personalized processing steps for a single fabric flow and one or more associated subsystems for each personalized processing step; Based on the data from the single fabric stream from the classification module, modify the settings of the one or more subsystems used for each personalized processing step; Operate the piping system to activate one or more subsystems for each personalized processing step; Operate the piping system to close one or more dampers along the length of the piping that are not part of one or more identified personalized processing steps; and The operation of one or more activated dampers that are part of one or more personalized processing within the length of the pipeline.

17. The textile recycling system according to claim 15, wherein, The controller is further configured as follows: Receive user input that identifies details related to the fed textile fabric; Based on the user input, modify the settings of one or more subsystems used for each personalized processing.

18. The textile recycling system of claim 15 further includes a mechanical recycling system configured to receive the processed fabric stream and produce recycled fibers, wherein, The controller is also configured to: Receive user input regarding the requirement to identify recycled fibers; The settings of the mechanical recycling system are modified based on the user input.

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