Every year, large amounts of textile waste are generated in the world, the majority of which is cotton waste. It is stated that it accounts for about 65% of all textile waste by mass. However, due to the heterogeneity and instability of the chemical composition of textile waste, its recycling and secondary use pose serious challenges. It is stated that textile waste, especially of synthetic origin, is a waste that is difficult to degrade, increases greenhouse gas emissions, environmental and groundwater pollution, and microplastic pollution, and the process of its decomposition in a landfill takes more than 200 years. Therefore, the recycling of textile waste and the secondary use of products is a relevant topic both in Lithuania and around the world.
The project intends to test an innovative thermal conversion method for the utilization of cotton fiber waste – the method of incineration in an oxygen-free environment for the recycling of cotton waste. When heated at high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment, an intensive carbonization process of the burned mass occurs: the chemical composition of the primary raw material changes substantially, and thermally less stable compounds decompose to form volatile compounds. One of the resulting products is pyrolysis carbon. It is planned to conduct a series of studies and test various thermal conversion conditions in order to obtain high-quality pyrolysis carbon from cotton fiber waste, determining its physical, chemical, and structural properties. By modeling the thermochemical processing and mechanical preparation (grinding) modes of cotton waste, the aim will be to obtain a raw material (pyrolysis carbon) that could be used in the concept of developing hybrid composite-tribological materials and its implementation.
Project funding:
KTU Research Fund
Period of project implementation: 2025-04-17 - 2025-12-31
Project partners: Vytautas Magnus University
