The aim of this process was to develop and demonstrate fibre-to-fibre recycling of synthetic textiles into new high-quality fibres using thermo-mechanical process and material valorisation via cleaning, additivation and adjustment of polymer melts. Post-industrial polyester fleece textile cutting waste was fed to the extruders as fabric pieces at VTT (first photo) to compact and pelletise the material (second photo). The pellets were melt-spun into new PES fibres at RISE.

Thermo-mechanical recycling involves remelting thermoplastic waste materials, which is a cost-effective and efficient process. With technologies developed at VTT in the tExtended project, pure and blended synthetic textile waste pieces can be directly fed to the process using MODIX cylindrical extruder, and then the resulted polymer mass can be valorised via cleaning, additivation and adjustment of polymer melts using VAREX technology.