Anceschi Anastasia, Trotta Francesco, Zoccola Marina, Caldera Fabrizio, Magnacca Giuliana, Patrucco Alessia
CNR-STIIMA, Italian National Research Council, Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, Corso G. Pella 16, 13900 Biella, Italy.
Department of Chemistry, University of Turin, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Turin, Italy.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Jan 26;17(3):341. doi: 10.3390/polym17030341.
The generation of synthetic textile waste is a growing global concern, with an unsustainable rate of expansion. This study addresses the growing issue of synthetic textile waste by converting polyester-polyurethane (PET-PU) post-industrial scraps into microporous carbon materials, which can be utilized for wastewater treatment. Using a straightforward pyrolysis process, we achieved a high specific surface area (632 m/g) and narrow porosity range (2-10 Å) without requiring chemical activation. The produced carbon materials effectively adsorbed methylene blue and orange II dyes, with maximum adsorption capacities of 169.49 mg/g and 147.56 mg/g, respectively. Kinetic studies demonstrated that adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model, indicating strong interactions between the adsorbent and dyes. Regeneration tests showed that the C-PET-PU could be reused for multiple cycles with over 85% retention of its original adsorption capacity. Preliminary life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) analysis highlighted the environmental and economic advantages of this upcycling approach, showing a reduced global warming potential and a production cost of approximately 1.65 EUR/kg. These findings suggest that transforming PET-PU waste into valuable adsorbents provides a sustainable solution for the circular economy and highlights the potential for broader applications in environmental remediation.
合成纺织废料的产生是一个日益引起全球关注的问题，其扩张速度不可持续。本研究通过将聚酯 - 聚氨酯（PET - PU）工业后废料转化为可用于废水处理的微孔碳材料，解决了日益严重的合成纺织废料问题。通过简单的热解过程，我们实现了高比表面积（632 m/g）和窄孔隙率范围（2 - 10 Å），且无需化学活化。所制备的碳材料有效吸附了亚甲基蓝和橙II染料，最大吸附容量分别为169.49 mg/g和147.56 mg/g。动力学研究表明，吸附遵循准二级模型，表明吸附剂与染料之间存在强相互作用。再生测试表明，C - PET - PU可重复使用多个循环，其原始吸附容量保留率超过85%。初步的生命周期评估（LCA）和生命周期成本（LCC）分析突出了这种升级循环方法的环境和经济优势，显示出全球变暖潜力降低，生产成本约为1.65欧元/千克。这些发现表明，将PET - PU废料转化为有价值的吸附剂为循环经济提供了一种可持续的解决方案，并突出了其在环境修复中更广泛应用的潜力。
