Method for producing a cellulose paper material from used textiles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12320070-B2
Application number	US-202017596094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a cellulosic paper material ( 150 ) is described. The method comprises: i) providing ( 105 ) used textiles as starting material ( 101 ), wherein the used textiles comprise cellulose and non-cellulosic foreign matters (in particular synthetic plastics and/or metal oxides), ii) at least partially depleting ( 120 ) the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose, to provide a depleted starting material ( 110 ), and iii) forming ( 170 ) the cellulosic paper material ( 150 ) from the depleted starting material ( 110 ). Furthermore, a cellulosic paper material ( 150 ) made of recycled used textiles and a use of used textiles for providing a cellulosic paper material ( 150 ) are described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a cellulosic paper material, wherein the method comprises:
providing used textiles as a starting material, wherein the used textiles comprise at least one of residues from a clothing manufacture or used clothes,
wherein the used textiles comprise cellulose and non-cellulosic foreign matters;
wherein the non-cellulosic foreign matters comprise at least one of synthetic plastic or metal oxide;
partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose, to provide a depleted starting material;
forming the cellulosic paper material from the partially depleted starting material; and
further comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose is such that intrinsic foreign matters at least partially remain in the depleted starting material; or
substantially completely depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose such that highly pure cellulose fibers are provided as depleted starting material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein depleting further comprises:
mechanically separating at least a part of the non-cellulosic foreign matters; or
chemically separating at least a part of the non-cellulosic foreign matters.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein chemically separating further comprises:
performing a boiling process,
wherein the boiling process is performed such that the average degree of polymerization of the cellulose of the depleted starting material is within a predefined range.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein depleting further comprises: supplying an oxidizing agent to the boiling process; or chemically reducing at least a part of the starting material.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein depleting further comprises:
controlling the process parameters, such that an average degree of polymerization of the cellulose of the depleted starting material is substantially in a predefined range,
wherein the cellulose of the depleted starting material comprises the average degree of polymerization of 300 monomers or more.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein depleting further comprises:
selectively depleting cellulose whose average degree of polymerization deviates from a predefined range.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
mixing the depleted starting material with a further starting material for obtaining a mixed starting material.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
selectively depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose, such that at least one predefined synthetic plastic at least partially remains in the depleted starting material;
wherein the predefined synthetic plastic which at least partially remains in the depleted starting material comprises PUR.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein depleting further comprises:
selectively retaining metal oxides such that they may act as oxidation catalysts for organic contaminations.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
supplying the depleted starting material to a pulp, and
forming the cellulosic paper material from the pulp.

11. The method according to claim 6 , wherein selectively depleting cellulose whose average degree of polymerization deviates from a predefined range by intentionally removing cellulose with a short chain length.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein by selectively depleting the present residual plastics, a desired amount of the plastics is adjusted.

13. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the mixing the depleted starting material with a further starting material of a different composition comprising different plastics for obtaining a mixed starting material is such that a desired amount of the different plastics results.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the predefined synthetic plastic which at least partially remains in the depleted starting material comprises elastane.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the metal oxides are titanium dioxide.

16. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the metal oxides are pigments.

17. A method for manufacturing a cellulosic paper material, wherein the method comprises:
providing used textiles as a starting material, wherein the used textiles comprise at least one of residues from a clothing manufacture or used clothes,
wherein the used textiles comprise cellulose and non-cellulosic foreign matters;
wherein the non-cellulosic foreign matters comprise synthetic plastic;
partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose, to provide a depleted starting material;
mixing the depleted starting material with a further starting material of a different composition comprising different plastics for obtaining a mixed starting material such that a desired amount of the different plastics results;
forming the cellulosic paper material from the partially depleted starting material; and
further comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose is such that intrinsic foreign matters at least partially remain in the depleted starting material; or
substantially completely depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose such that highly pure cellulose fibers are provided as depleted starting material.

18. A method for manufacturing a cellulosic paper material, wherein the method comprises:
providing used textiles as a starting material, wherein the used textiles comprise at least one of residues from a clothing manufacture or used clothes,
wherein the used textiles comprise cellulose and non-cellulosic foreign matters;
wherein the non-cellulosic foreign matters comprise metal oxide;
wherein the metal oxides are titanium dioxide and/or pigments;
partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose, to provide a depleted starting material;
forming the cellulosic paper material from the partially depleted starting material; and
further comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the partially depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose is such that intrinsic foreign matters at least partially remain in the depleted starting material; or
substantially completely depleting the non-cellulosic foreign matters from the cellulose such that highly pure cellulose fibers are provided as depleted starting material.

Assignees

• Chemiefaser Lenzing Ag

Inventors

• Herchl Richard
• Weilach Christian

Classifications

• D21C5/00

  Other processes for obtaining cellulose, e.g. cooking cotton linters (obtaining fibres for spinning D01C); {Processes characterised by the choice of cellulose-containing starting materials} · CPC title

• Y02W30/66

  Disintegrating fibre-containing textile articles to obtain fibres for re-use · CPC title

• Y02W30/64

  Paper recycling · CPC title

• D21B1/10

  by cutting actions · CPC title

• D21B1/028 Primary

  by dry methods · CPC title