Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that involve a subcritical water reaction to recycle the cellulose and polyester components of waste cotton and cotton/polyester blend textiles that would otherwise be discarded or disposed of. Specifically, the disclosed methods provide for treatment of the waste textiles to produce advanced materials including cellulose and terephthalic acid (TPA) with a low environmental impact. The cellulose and TPA that are produced are of a high quality allowing for production of regenerated cellulose and regenerated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) suitable for fiber spinning and textile applications.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 14, 2020
Date of Patent:
June 28, 2022
Assignee:
Circ, LLC
Inventors:
Florin G. Barla, Todd Showalter, Hsun-Cheng Su, Jeremy Jones, Iulian Bobe
Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter relates to an industrial system for processing various plant materials to produce marketable materials. Particularly, the system integrates subcritical water extraction technology and includes a pre-processing module and a two-stage extractor (processing module) with constant control of temperature, pressure, and/or residence time. In some embodiments, the final product of the disclosed system can include feedstock constituents for biofuel production (sugars and/or oil), biochar, raw materials for various industries (such as pulp for manufacturing paper or cellulose for use in various industries). The disclosed system can be modular or non-modular, stationary or mobile, and can include prefabricated elements with programmed automatic or manual operation so that it can be easily moved and/or assembled on site.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 27, 2020
Date of Patent:
April 19, 2022
Assignee:
Circ, LLC
Inventors:
Sandeep Kumar, Peter Majeranowski, Igor Kostenyuk, Iulian Bobe, Florin Barla
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that involve a subcritical water reaction to recycle the cellulose and polyester components of waste cotton and cotton/polyester blend textiles that would otherwise be discarded or disposed of. Specifically, the disclosed methods provide for treatment of the waste textiles to produce advanced materials including cellulose and terephthalic acid (TPA) with a low environmental impact. The cellulose and TPA that are produced are of a high quality allowing for production of regenerated cellulose and regenerated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) suitable for fiber spinning and textile applications.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 26, 2019
Date of Patent:
November 23, 2021
Assignee:
Circ, LLC
Inventors:
Florin G. Barla, Todd Showalter, Hsun-Cheng Su, Jeremy Jones, Iulian Bobe