HIGH-QUALITY CARBON MATERIALS FROM SYNTHETIC INDUSTRIAL FIBRE WAST

In recent decades, global fibre consumption has steadily increased, leading to a higher amount of post-industrial and post-consumer fibre waste. This generates an enormous amount of synthetic waste, most of which is disposed of in landfills. However, it could be recycled into a new production cycle in terms of circular economy and industrial symbiosis [1]. The textile sector is one of the most important product value chains in the new Circular Economy Action Plan. Through research and innovation, important actions can be taken to promote sorting, reuse and recycling, with positive impacts on the environment and human health. In synthetic (clothing) textiles, the most commonly used fibre is PET (polyester), which is usually blended with polyurethane (PU). The PET-PU separation is not an easy process to handle. For this reason, in this study, we focused on obtaining a high-quality carbon material from PET-PU industrial waste with bioabsorber properties. These preliminary results show a carbon material with high surface area and interesting adsorption abilities for a simulated wastewater treatment.