Next generation automated sorting, tracing and closed-loop recycling technologies for non-rewearable textiles

Objective

AUTOLOOP’s primary ambition is to become a transformative force in the European Textile and Clothing Industry, supporting its transition towards a sustainable circular economy by effectively addressing its current critical challenges. Its overall objective is to develop cutting-edge and scalable technology to build the next generation system for intelligent automated sorting and advanced chemical recycling of non-rewearable textiles (NRT), science-based additive tracing and digitalisation of the textile value chain. Technology development is at the core of the project bringing artificial intelligence powered automated sorting, advanced chemical recycling and additive tracing technologies from their current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to TRL 5. The textile Data Hub will collect and process data from each recycling step in a Digital Product Passport-compatible format, facilitating transparency, data accessibility and interoperability. The AUTOLOOP chemical recycling technologies are pollutant-resistant and can extract pollutants from the NRT feedstock to deliver a clean and safe fibre product stream through the value chain to the customers. Preliminary modelling suggests that 96% of the net input post-consumer textile can be re-used or recycled by the AUTOLOOP system. According preliminary estimations, a total of 33 AUTOLOOP systems with individual capacity of 11.25 t/h post-consumer textile input can process the total current available NRT potential (1.24 Mt/a) producing: about i) 350,000 t/a of pure NRT fractions, ii) 372,000 t/a Lyocell-fibres, iii) 300,000 t/a virgin quality polyester fibres, iv) 114,000 t/a polyamide and other synthetic fibres. A preliminary estimate suggests that by processing the mentioned NRT potential, the resource savings account to approx. 12,500 million m3 of water, 4.5 TWh of energy and 450,000 ha arable land, relieving pressure from land use change issues and making water available for food and feed production.