Chemists Are Figuring Out How to Recycle Our Clothes - Scientific American
Chemical processes could recycle the cellulose from clothing waste into renewed fibers for garment makers
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Chemical processes could recycle the cellulose from clothing waste into renewed fibers for garment makers
Recognition for new route to cellulose fibres
The 2022 Marcus Wallenberg Prize of SEK 2 million is awarded to Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen and Professor Herbert Sixta for the development and use of novel ionic liquids to process wood biomass into high-performance textile fibres. King Carl XVI Gustaf presented the prize on Monday 11 October in Stockholm. The future demand for textile fibres is growing due to global population growth.
Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on Earth, and its outstanding qualities as biodegradable nature make it a perfect substitute for petroleum-based polymers. A challenge in the manufacturing of cellulose-based products, however, is controlling the structure of regenerated cellulose.
Aalto University is one of the founding shareholders of the newly established Ioncell Oy, a company which will commercialise the Ioncell® technology developed at Aalto. The technology enables the production of high-quality textile fibres from wood an