Textile fibre recycling and dissolving pulp.
Textile fibre recycling recovers cellulose from textile waste — post-consumer cotton, production offcuts, polycotton blends — and converts it back into dissolving pulp or regenerated cellulosic fibre. The main route for cotton-based waste is chemical pulping into a dissolving-pulp feedstock for viscose or lyocell. The hard problem is polycotton separation and pulp purity, and that is a pilot-line question. Ikigaia tests the full chain — from textile waste to fibre-grade pulp — on the Lemi line, with pulp quality validated in an in-house ISO/TAPPI lab.
Polycotton is the problem. Purity is the gate.
Most textile waste is cotton-polyester blend — the two fibres interwoven at the yarn level. Separating them chemically, while producing a pulp pure enough for viscose or lyocell, is the engineering challenge that determines whether textile recycling works at scale.
Blend separation
Cotton must be dissolved while polyester stays intact — and both streams recovered. The chemistry, yield, and fibre quality all need pilot validation.
Pulp purity
Dissolving pulp needs high alpha-cellulose and low hemicellulose, ash, and silica. Textile waste brings contaminants — dyes, finishes, elastane — that the process must handle.
Feedstock variability
Textile waste varies by source, blend ratio, colour, and contamination. A pilot run on your actual feedstock is the only way to know what your process will face.
From textile waste to fibre-grade pulp.
Four services, all run through the Lemi pilot line and ISO/TAPPI lab.
Polycotton separation & recycling
Chemical separation of cotton-polyester blends — dissolving the cellulose while recovering the polyester. We test the separation chemistry, yield, and fibre quality on the pilot line, validating the process before you build for it.
Blend separationRecycled cotton to dissolving pulp
Post-consumer and post-industrial cotton waste pulped into a dissolving-pulp-grade cellulose feedstock for regenerated fibres. We run the pulping trial and test the pulp against dissolving-pulp specifications in the lab.
Cotton → pulpAlternative feedstock MMCF
Regenerated cellulosic fibres from non-wood feedstocks — agrofibre, hemp, bagasse — alongside recycled cotton. We test whether the feedstock produces a pulp pure enough for viscose or lyocell production.
Non-wood routeTextile-to-textile process validation
End-to-end validation of the textile recycling chain — from waste feedstock through pulping to fibre-grade pulp — with the mass balance and quality data that investors, offtakers, and regulators require.
Full chainA pilot line that pulps textile waste. A lab that tests pulp purity.
The equipment for the full textile-to-pulp chain, at pilot scale.
Pilot pulping & separation line
A full precommercial line capable of pulping textile waste and running separation chemistry at pilot scale.
Pulp quality lab
Alpha-cellulose, hemicellulose, ash, and viscosity testing — the specifications that determine whether a pulp is dissolving-grade.
Material projects
Including textile-to-textile recycled fibre, dissolving pulp, and agrifibre pulp — proven on our line.
Textile chain clients
From innovative textile recyclers to brands building circular fibre supply chains.
The vocabulary of textile recycling.
Terms the textile and fibre industry uses. Each describes work we do on the Lemi line.
Textile fibre recycling — what works, and what doesn't.
The process, the chemistry, and the economics of recycling textile waste into new fibre.
What is textile fibre recycling?
Textile fibre recycling is the recovery of fibres from textile waste — post-consumer clothing, production offcuts, or industrial textiles — and their conversion back into new fibre, pulp, or material. Mechanical recycling reshreds the fabric; chemical recycling dissolves the fibre and regenerates it. For cotton-based textiles, the route is often pulping into a cellulose feedstock for dissolving pulp or regenerated cellulosic fibres (viscose, lyocell).
Can you recycle polycotton blends?
Yes — but it requires separating the cotton from the polyester. Polycotton is the most common textile blend and the hardest to recycle, because the two fibres are interwoven at the yarn level. The route is chemical: dissolving the cotton cellulose while leaving the polyester intact, then recovering both streams. We test this separation on the pilot line at Lemi, validating yield and fibre quality before you commit to a process.
What is dissolving pulp?
Dissolving pulp is a high-purity cellulose pulp produced for chemical conversion into regenerated fibres — viscose, lyocell, acetate — or cellulose derivatives like MCC and CMC. It differs from paper pulp in purity (higher alpha-cellulose, lower hemicellulose and ash). We run dissolving-pulp trials on the Lemi line, from feedstock characterisation through to pulp quality testing in the ISO/TAPPI lab.
What are man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF)?
MMCF — viscose, lyocell, modal, cupro — are regenerated fibres made by dissolving cellulose (usually dissolving pulp) and extruding it into new fibre. They are the fastest-growing sustainable textile fibre category, and the main route for recycling cotton waste back into textile use. Ikigaia validates the pulp-to-fibre chain at pilot scale, including alternative feedstocks like recycled cotton and agrofibre.
What is the difference between viscose and lyocell?
Both are regenerated cellulosic fibres made from dissolving pulp. Viscose uses carbon disulfide in the dissolution step; lyocell uses a non-toxic solvent (NMMO) that is recovered and recycled. Lyocell is considered the more sustainable process. Both require a high-purity dissolving pulp feedstock — which is what we test and produce on the pilot line.
How do you test textile recycling at pilot scale?
We run the textile waste through the Lemi pilot line — pulping, separation (for blends), and cellulose recovery — then test the resulting pulp or fibre in the ISO/TAPPI lab for purity, strength, and processability. The pilot run produces the mass balance, yield, and quality data that a scale-up needs for investor due diligence and offtake conversations.
Recycling textile waste into new fibre? Prove the process first.
A pilot trial on our line gives you the mass balance and pulp quality data your investors and offtakers need.