Partners say lyocell can boost recycled cotton content
Recycled cotton supplier Recover, machinery maker Rieter and fibre producer Aditya Birla Group have completed a pilot replacing the conventional virgin cotton “support fibre” for the shorter recycled fibres with a manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF), Birla Excel (lyocell).
In current industrial practice, many recycled-cotton ring yarns are limited to blends of around 20% recycled cotton and 80% virgin cotton. Mechanically recycled cotton typically contains a higher share of short fibers, higher nep levels and greater variability in fibre length, which can reduce process stability and yarn quality.
The partners found using cellulosic fibres in place of virgin cotton made it possible to spin yarns with 40% recycled cotton while achieving strong quality outcomes.
