Just a sample of the Echomail archive
Cooperative anarchy at its finest, still active today. Darkrealms is the Zone 1 Hub.
|    EARTH    |    Uhh, that 3rd rock from the sun?    |    8,931 messages    |
[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]
|    Message 7,861 of 8,931    |
|    ScienceDaily to All    |
|    Recycling: Researchers separate cotton f    |
|    20 Mar 23 22:30:24    |
      MSGID: 1:317/3 641932e1       PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08       TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08        Recycling: Researchers separate cotton from polyester in blended fabric                      Date:        March 20, 2023        Source:        North Carolina State University        Summary:        Researchers found they could separate blended cotton and polyester        fabric using enzymes -- nature's tools for speeding chemical        reactions.               Ultimately, they hope their findings will lead to a more efficient        way to recycle the fabric's component materials, thereby reducing        textile waste.                      Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email       FULL STORY       ==========================================================================       In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers found they       could separate blended cotton and polyester fabric using enzymes --       nature's tools for speeding chemical reactions. Ultimately, they hope       their findings will lead to a more efficient way to recycle the fabric's       component materials, thereby reducing textile waste.                     ==========================================================================       However, they also found the process need more steps if the blended fabric       was dyed or treated with chemicals that increase wrinkle resistance.              "We can separate all of the cotton out of a cotton-polyester blend,       meaning now we have clean polyester that can be recycled," said the       study's corresponding author Sonja Salmon, associate professor of textile       engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. "In a landfill, the       polyester is not going to degrade, and the cotton might take several       months or more to break down. Using our method, we can separate       the cotton from polyester in less than 48 hours." According to the       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, consumers throw approximately 11       million tons of textile waste into U.S. landfills each year.              Researchers wanted to develop a method of separating the cotton from       the polyester so each component material could be recycled.              In the study, researchers used a "cocktail" of enzymes in a mildly       acidic solution to chop up cellulose in cotton. Cellulose is the       material that gives structure to plants' cell walls. The idea is       to chop up the cellulose so it will "fall out" out of the blended       woven structure, leaving some tiny cotton fiber fragments remaining,       along with glucose. Glucose is the biodegradable byproduct of degraded       cellulose. Then, their process involves washing away the glucose and       filtering out the cotton fiber fragments, leaving clean polyester.              "This is a mild process -- the treatment is slightly acidic, like using       vinegar," Salmon said. "We also ran it at 50 degrees Celsius, which is       like the temperature of a hot washing machine.              "It's quite promising that we can separate the polyester to a clean       level," Salmon added. "We still have some more work to do to characterize       the polyester's properties, but we think they will be very good because       the conditions are so mild. We're just adding enzymes that ignore       the polyester." They compared degradation of 100% cotton fabric to       degradation of cotton and polyester blends, and also tested fabric that       was dyed with red and blue reactive dyes and treated with durable press       chemicals. In order to break down the dyed materials, the researchers       had to increase the amount of time and enzymes used. For fabrics treated       with durable press chemicals, they had to use a chemical pre-treatment       before adding the enzymes.              "The dye that you choose has a big impact on the potential degradation       of the fabric," said the study's lead author Jeannie Egan, a graduate       student at NC State. "Also, we found the biggest obstacle so far is the       wrinkle-resistant finish. The chemistry behind that creates a significant       block for the enzyme to access the cellulose. Without pre-treating it,       we achieved less than 10% degradation, but after, with two enzyme doses,       we were able to fully degrade it, which was a really exciting result."       Researchers said the polyester could be recycled, while the slurry of       cotton fragments could be valuable as an additive for paper or useful       addition to composite materials. They're also investigating whether the       glucose could be used to make biofuels.              "The slurry is made of residual cotton fragments that resist a very       powerful enzymatic degradation," Salmon said. "It has potential value       as a strengthening agent. For the glucose syrup, we're collaborating on       a project to see if we can feed it into an anaerobic digester to make       biofuel. We'd be taking waste and turning it into bioenergy, which       would be much better than throwing it into a landfill." The study,       "Enzymatic textile fiber separation for sustainable waste processing,"       was published in Resources, Environment and Sustainability. Co- authors       included Siyan Wang, Jialong Shen, Oliver Baars and Geoffrey Moxley.              Funding was provided by the Environmental Research and Education       Foundation, Kaneka Corporation and the Department of Textile Engineering,       Chemistry and Science at NC State.               * RELATED_TOPICS        o Plants_&_Animals        # Biology # Fisheries # Biochemistry_Research        o Matter_&_Energy        # Textiles_and_Clothing # Wearable_Technology #        Materials_Science        o Earth_&_Climate        # Hazardous_Waste # Recycling_and_Waste #        Environmental_Issues        * RELATED_TERMS        o Enzyme o Parachute o Cotton o Antioxidant o Asbestos o        Autocatalysis o Recycling o Hazardous_waste              ==========================================================================       Story Source: Materials provided       by North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Laura       Oleniacz. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.                     ==========================================================================       Journal Reference:        1. Jeannie Egan, Siyan Wang, Jialong Shen, Oliver Baars, Geoffrey        Moxley,        Sonja Salmon. Enzymatic textile fiber separation for sustainable        waste processing. Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 2023;        13: 100118 DOI: 10.1016/j.resenv.2023.100118       ==========================================================================              Link to news story:       https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230320143826.htm              --- up 1 year, 3 weeks, 10 hours, 50 minutes        * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)       SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 226/30 227/114 229/110       SEEN-BY: 229/111 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 292/854 298/25       SEEN-BY: 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45       PATH: 317/3 229/426           |
[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]
(c) 1994, bbs@darkrealms.ca