Recyclable chemical-enzymatic hydrolysis cascade for the degradation and closed-loop recycling of blended fabrics

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 435; p. 132897
• Main Authors: Zheng, Yi, Yuan, Yingbo, Han, Yuanfei, Su, Tianyuan, Qi, Qingsheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2025
• Subjects: Benzenesulfonates - chemistry; Biological hydrolysis; Blended fabrics; Cellulose - chemistry; Cotton Fiber; Hydrolysis; Hydrothermal treatment; Microcrystalline cellulose; P-toluenesulfonic acid; Polyesters - chemistry; Recycling - methods; Textiles; P-toluenesulfonic acid; Hydrothermal treatment; Blended fabrics; Biological hydrolysis; Microcrystalline cellulose
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132897

[Display omitted] •Degradation of blended fabrics in an efficient and sustainable manner.•Chemical-enzymatic hydrolysis cascade for sequential degradation of cellulose and polyester fibers.•Recyclable TsOH treatment degrades cotton while separating polyester fibers.•The conversion efficiency from cotton fiber to MCC reached 70%.•PET hydrolase LCC-A2 degraded 66.8% of the separated polyester fibers. The annual increase in textile consumption has led to significant waste generation, resulting in severe environmental pollution and resource waste. Particularly for the most common polyester/cotton blended fabrics, the composition is intricate, and recycling is even more challenging. In this study, a recyclable chemical-enzymatic hydrolysis cascade was developed to degrade and achieve closed-loop recycling of blended fabrics. The recyclable organic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH), was employed as a catalyst for hydrothermal treatment. A low concentration (0.5 %) of TsOH efficiently broke down cotton fibers under mild conditions, achieving a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) conversion rate of over 70 %. The separated polyester fibers were hydrolyzed into monomers by PET hydrolase, achieving a maximum specific space–time yield of 149.6 gTPAeq. L–1h−1 genzyme–1. For blended fabrics with varying proportions, this process exhibits high degradation efficiency and generates no secondary pollution, providing a potential route for the industrialization of textile waste closed-loop recycling.