Tokyo-based recycling company, Jeplan, has developed a new technology that extracts cotton fibers from old clothes and converts them into fuel.
Developed in an effort to divert used clothing from landfills and incinerators, the technology utilizes a series of distillation and vaporizing processes, which the company says can convert 1 ton of junked clothing into 700 liters of ethanol – an alcohol commonly used in engine fuel and fuel additives.
The company is also refining a technique to extract polyester, something the fashion industry has struggled with for decades, as it is extremely difficult to regain the fiber’s purity once it’s been blended with other materials. According to Jeplan co-founder and chief executive, Masaki Takao, the process generates half as much carbon dioxide as making poly from scratch.
Jeplan is currently running a grassroots collection campaign with the goal of gathering 30,000 tons of donated clothing to supply its new plant on the southern island of Kyushu, which is expected to begin operations this summer.
You can read more about Jeplan’s recycling technology at Bloomberg.
