AIMPLAS will concentrate in this phase on dissolving PVC in textile waste and the chemical recycling of polyurethane foams. Soon, tExtended solutions will be tested across Europe, with a focus on regional replication potential. The project will also engage local community members in developing and enhancing its framework.

Source: InterplasInsights

The emphasis on addressing the increasing problem of textile waste is rising at both European and global levels. The EU-funded project tExtended is crafting a blueprint—a knowledge-driven masterplan aimed at demonstrating effective processes for textile recovery, reuse, waste valorization, and recycling.

After two years of thorough research, tExtended is transitioning into its second phase of work. The project will advance its Conceptual Framework, a knowledge-based solution aimed at maintaining quality. Additionally, tExtended is preparing to test this framework in an Industrial-Urban symbiosis collaborative real-scale demonstrator, showcasing its potential to reduce textile waste by 80%.

AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, will play a crucial role in various aspects of this phase. The center is collaborating with VTT using advanced technologies like optical sensors (NIR, RGB, and hyperspectral cameras) to evaluate textile composition in compliance with recycling standards.

It will also develop techniques to separate non-textile components, employing methods such as electrostatic and triboelectric separation, and will classify garments by type through air separation. Equipment will be adapted to process textile parts on a pilot scale. The team is exploring the dissolution of PVC in textile waste to ease the separation of other materials and enhance their recycling potential.

This four-year project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, is now also addressing the social dimension of the textile sector by incorporating local community participants into project activities. By engaging citizens in various initiatives focused on pre-sorting and returning used textiles, tExtended aims to raise awareness about the sustainability and circularity of textiles.