Date published: Jan. 21, 2026

Summary:

This technology chemically recycles textile waste by breaking down fibers into building blocks (monomers) using hydrolysis and aminolysis. These monomers can then be used to create new textiles.

Applications: 

• Textile recycling
• New sustainable textile production

Advantages/Benefits: 

• Separates cottons from polyester
• Recycles diverse textile types
• Generates high-quality raw materials

Background: 

The global textile industry generates vast amounts of waste. Current textile waste management primarily involves landfilling or incineration, and existing recycling methods often struggle with mixed fibers and yield lower-quality materials. There is a critical need for sustainable solutions to manage discarded textiles, separate cotton and polyester in blended textiles, and reduce reliance on virgin resources.

Technology Overview: 

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new chemical recycling process that efficiently deconstructs synthetic, natural, and blended textiles. Utilizing specialized aqueous solutions, the technology depolymerizes these materials into monomeric or oligomeric constituents with yields exceeding 95%, remaining effective regardless of dye contaminants. The process is highly selective; in polycotton blends, the polyester is fully depolymerized through hydrolysis and aminolysis while the cotton fraction is preserved. Following depolymerization, the individual monomers are recovered and purified through advanced separation stages. The resulting monomers can then be recovered and repolymerized to manufacture new textiles or polymers, effectively closing the materials loop.

Development Stage: 

TRL 4

Inventors:

Chang Dou, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL)

Xueli Chen, LBNL

Tyrell Lewis, LBNL

Hemant Choudhary, Sandia National Lab

Joseph Palasz, LBNL

Ning Sun, LBNL

Blake Simmons, LBNL

Status: Patent pending

Opportunities: Available for licensing and / or collaborative research