Automated textile-waste sorting to streamline Finnish circular economy
The sorting of waste textiles is set to become easier and more accurate, thanks to a collaboration between Finnish recycling firm LSJH, the Lahti University of Applied Sciences, and materials sensor equipment manufacturer Spectral Engines. The infrared optical recognition technology will be deployed at an LSJS pilot processing plant specifically created to accelerate Finland’s textile circular economy.
“Identification technology based on spectral infrared identification is familiar in the area of plastics sorting, but it is new to textile recycling,” said Jaakko Zitting, a project engineer developing the identification technology at LSJH. “A hand-held infrared scanner helps to combine the benefits of manual and automatic sorting and enables us to distinguish between the most recyclable monomaterials from numerous fibre blends.”
The initiative falls under the umbrella of Telaketju, a national network promoting the circular economy of textiles and improving functional utilization of textile waste in Finland. (“Telaketju” comes from the Finnish words for textile recycling, sorting and utilizing.) Within this framework LSJH has been developing the hand-held textile scanner based on NIR-spectroscopy, using technology, cloud services and machine learning expertise provided by Spectral Engines.
With more accurate identification devices, sorting practices can be developed in preparation of a fibre opening line to be introduced next summer. High-quality fibres may qualify for the manufacturing of yarn and into new clothing, according to LSJH’s circular economy specialist Sini Ilmonen, while other fibres have applications such as composite products and acoustic/insulation material.
“End-of-life textiles have been collected in the LSJH area for a number of years already. Now we have proceeded to the stage where we can identify the materials and further process them,” said Ms Ilmonen. However, she added, textile recycling is only valuable if the resulting fibres can indeed find new purpose. “It is of paramount importance to locate and mobilise businesses that are willing to start developing new products by utilising recycled fibre.”
