A method and system for recycling at least a portion of a textile material comprising polyester fibers

Abstract

The present invention describes a method of recycling at least a portion of a textile material comprising polyester fibers, the method comprising a mixing step comprising bringing the textile material comprising polyester fibers and at least one other type of fibers into contact with a suspension comprising a catalyst and methanol in a rotatable drum of a reactor unit, the rotatable drum being arranged for rotating around an axis, said axis having an angle to the horizontal plane being less than 45°, preferable said rotatable drum being perforated; a depolymerization step comprising providing a temperature of at least 80° C. in the reactor unit and rotating the drum to make the textile material tumble around inside thereof in contact with the catalyst and methanol to perform a methanolysis depolymerization reaction of the polyester portion of the textile material, leaving said other type of fibers in a fiber state; and withdrawing from the reactor unit a liquid solution comprising depolymerized polyester, and withdrawing from the rotatable drum a fiber material comprising said other type of fibers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.