WO-2026093259-A2 - METHOD FOR TREATING A TEXTILE FIBER BLEND IN A FIBER FIXED-BED REACTOR

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for treating, in particular for purifying, a textile fiber blend, wherein a treatment agent flows through the textile fiber blend, and to a device for carrying out the method according to the invention.

Inventors

• MARX, Lennart
• BÖRNHORST, Tobias
• KREIS, PHILIPP

Assignees

• EEDEN GMBH

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251028

Priority Date

20241028

Claims (15)

1. 1. A method for treating a textile fiber mixture, characterized in that the textile fiber mixture is introduced into a fiber fixed bed reactor and is passed through by a treatment agent, the treatment agent is subjected to purification after passing through and the purified treatment agent is returned to the method.
2. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the textile fiber mixture comprises natural fibers and plastic fibers, wherein the natural fibers are preferably selected from cotton fibers, hemp fibers, linen fibers, artificial cellulose fibers such as lyocell fibers and viscose fibers and mixtures thereof and/or the plastic fibers are preferably selected from polyester fibers, polyether fibers, polyurethane fibers, polyamide fibers and mixtures thereof.
3. 3. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile fiber mixture has a proportion of fibers based on cellulose of at least 20 wt.%, particularly preferably of at least 60 wt.%, in particular at least 80 wt.% and in particular at least 90 wt.%, in each case based on the total weight of the textile fiber mixture used.
4. 4. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the treatment agent is selected from the group consisting of alcoholic solvents, in particular methanol and ethylene glycol, and aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and mixtures thereof.
5. 5. A method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method is carried out in the presence of a catalyst, which is preferably added to the treatment agent, wherein the catalyst is preferably selected from the group consisting of alkali acetates, alkaline earth acetates, transition metal acetates, carbonates, hydrogen carbonates and mixtures thereof, wherein the catalyst is preferably selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, sodium acetate, potassium acetate, calcium acetate, magnesium acetate, sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate.
6. 6. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the treatment of the textile fiber mixture is carried out at a temperature of 140 to 240 °C, particularly preferably 150 to 210 °C and/or a pressure of 1 to 80 bar.
7. 7. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the purified textile fibers are further subjected to a hydrothermal treatment, wherein the fibers are preferably brought into contact with water or steam at a temperature of 130 to 200 °C, preferably 160 to 190 °C and/or a pressure of 0.3 to 1.6 MPa, preferably 0.6 to 1.3 MPa in the fiber fixed bed reactor.
8. 8. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the purification of the treatment agent is carried out by a method selected from crystallization, rectification and distillation as well as combinations of these methods.
9. 9. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile fiber mixture is present in a cartridge through which the treatment agent flows.
10. 10. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the textile fiber mixture comprises cotton fibers and PET fibers.
11. 11. Device for carrying out a method according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the device comprises at least one fiber fixed bed reactor for receiving a textile fiber mixture through which a treatment agent flows, and a unit for cleaning the treatment agent after the flow through.
12. 12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the reactor is equipped with a flowable cartridge for receiving the textile fiber mixture, wherein the cartridge preferably has at least one sieve bottom.
13. 13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the device further comprises at least one cartridge changer.
14. 14. Device according to at least one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the device has a reservoir for receiving, storing and dispensing the treatment agent.
15. 15. Device according to at least one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the device comprises more than one fiber fixed-bed reactor, these preferably being connected in parallel. ...

Description

Method for treating a textile fiber mixture in a fiber fixed bed reactor The present invention relates to a method for treating, in particular for purifying, a textile fiber mixture, in which the textile fiber mixture is permeated by a treatment agent, and to a device for carrying out the method according to the invention. Rapidly changing fashion trends are driving increased clothing production. Given the associated resource consumption and growing amounts of waste, the demand for sustainable solutions for dealing with used textiles is rising. Currently, recycled textiles are difficult to process. Only a small percentage are resold as secondhand goods or reused for other purposes. In shredding plants, the textiles can be processed into fibers, which, depending on their quality, can be used as raw materials for painter's fleece, car interior trim, or as filler, or as an additive in yarn production. While this extends the lifespan of the fibers, the fibers obtained in this way are generally too short to be processed into new textiles on a satisfactory scale and reused in their original form. Textile recycling generally presents the problem that many different, sometimes contaminated, materials are often disposed of together, and textiles themselves are made of mixed materials. Therefore, one aspect of a sustainable recycling process is the cleaning of the textile fibers or fiber blends, with a particular focus on separating synthetic and non-synthetic fibers. This is achieved, for example, through the depolymerization of the plastics used, allowing them to be recovered in the form of their monomers. WO 2019/140245 describes a process for producing cellulose and terephthalic acid from textile waste, in which the textile waste is treated with subcritical water at a temperature of 105 to 190 °C and a pressure of 40 to 300 psi for up to 90 minutes, yielding cellulose with a degree of polymerization of 150 to 2500 and dissolved terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. WO 2010/104458 relates to a process for producing shaped cellulose material from lignocellulose by a sequence of separation, dissolution and cellulose forming steps, wherein the lignin is dissolved by boiling the material at a temperature between 110 and 200 °C for a period of 1 to 6 hours in an aqueous solution comprising soluble alkali, alkaline earth or phosphorus compounds. US 2023/0124761 discloses a process for treating a starting material comprising cellulose-containing and non-cellulose-containing material, in which various treatment methods are intended to lead to a change in the viscosity and average molecular weight of the cellulose material. US 2024/270926 describes a process for recycling mixed textile waste comprising polyester and cellulose staple fibers, including cotton staple fibers, wherein the process includes depolymerizing the polyester in a basic aqueous solution. The process involves placing the textiles in a reaction chamber; providing a basic depolymerization solution according to a bath ratio between V2 and 1/20 of the weight of the textiles to the weight of the solution; circulating the depolymerization solution through the textiles to depolymerize the polyester into the appropriate monomers and to remove the polyester monomers from the textiles; the removal of the depolymerization solution from the reaction chamber, wherein the temperature of the depolymerization solution is in the range between 101 °C and 160 °C, and the depolymerization solution is circulated through the textiles to provide treated textiles comprising the cellulose staple fibers, preferably including the cotton staple fibers, and being substantially free of polyester material. DK 181 912 relates to a device for treating textile fibers in a solvent suspension, comprising a reactor, wherein the reactor includes a lower end and an upper end, an inlet for solvent, an outlet for solvent, an inlet for fiber material and an outlet for suspended or wetted fiber material, wherein the device is designed to force solvent through the reactor from the solvent inlet to the solvent outlet and to move the fiber material from the fiber material inlet to the outlet for suspended filter material. The claimed device shall be characterized in that the reactor further comprises a first filter arranged near the lower end and a second filter arranged near the upper end, wherein the distance between the first filter and the second filter defines a reaction volume for treating the textile fibers, wherein the inlet for solvent is arranged below the first filter, wherein the outlet for solvent is arranged above the second filter, wherein the inlet for fiber material is arranged below and usually near the second filter, and wherein the outlet for suspended or moistened fiber material is arranged above and usually near the first filter. SE 2250 912 discloses a process for recycling at least a part of a textile material comprising polyester fibers, wherein the process includes a mix