US 11,713,528 B2
Textile recycling
Emily Grace Robinson, Blaine, WA (US); and Scot E Land, Redmond, WA (US)
Assigned to APANI SYSTEMS INC., Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by Apani Systems Inc., Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Aug. 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/823,914.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/239,274, filed on Aug. 31, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0069369 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. B01D 37/00 (2006.01); B01D 43/00 (2006.01); B07C 5/342 (2006.01); D01D 4/02 (2006.01); D01D 13/00 (2006.01); D01D 13/02 (2006.01); D01F 1/06 (2006.01); D01F 1/07 (2006.01); D01F 1/10 (2006.01); D01F 2/02 (2006.01); D21C 7/00 (2006.01); D21C 7/12 (2006.01); D06B 9/00 (2006.01); C08J 11/08 (2006.01); D01D 1/02 (2006.01); D01D 5/06 (2006.01); D01F 2/00 (2006.01); B07C 5/36 (2006.01)
CPC D06B 9/00 (2013.01) [B07C 5/3422 (2013.01); B07C 5/361 (2013.01); C08J 11/08 (2013.01); D01D 1/02 (2013.01); D01D 5/06 (2013.01); D01F 2/00 (2013.01); C08J 2301/02 (2013.01); D10B 2201/22 (2013.01); Y02W 30/66 (2015.05)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A textile recycling method, comprising:
receiving textiles-to-be-recycled, the textiles to be recycled having at least some cellulose-containing articles;
sorting the textiles-to-be-recycled to isolate the cellulose-containing articles from non-cellulose-containing articles;
sorting the textiles-to-be-recycled to isolate a second type of cellulose-containing articles, wherein the cellulose-containing articles have a first type of cellulose fiber and the second type of cellulose-containing articles have a second type of cellulose fiber, the first type of cellulose fiber being different from the second type of cellulose fiber;
re-sizing at least some of the cellulose-containing articles to create a first feedstock;
re-sizing at least some of the second type of cellulose-containing articles to create a second feedstock;
processing the first feedstock in a first cellulose solvent reactor having at least one first ionic liquid therein to create a first spinning dope, wherein the processing includes dissolving, at least partially, some or all intermolecular cellulose bonds of the first feedstock thereby creating a first cellulose-bearing solution having first cellulose fibers dissolved in the at least one first ionic liquid;
processing the second feedstock in a second cellulose solvent reactor having at least one second ionic liquid therein to create a second spinning dope, wherein processing the second feedstock includes dissolving, at least partially, some or all intermolecular cellulose bonds of the second feedstock thereby creating a second cellulose-bearing solution having second cellulose fibers dissolved in the at least one second ionic liquid;
extracting the first spinning dope in a first cellulose coagulation bath reservoir to reconstitute at least some of the dissolved first cellulose fibers; and
extracting the second spinning dope in a second cellulose coagulation bath reservoir to reconstitute at least some of the dissolved second cellulose fibers;
wet-spinning at least some of the reconstituted first cellulose fibers into a continuous cellulose thread; and
wet-spinning at least some of the reconstituted first cellulose fibers with at least some of the reconstituted second cellulose fibers into a continuous cellulose hybrid thread.