The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA)’s research project – Green Machine – has been selected as one of the winners of the 2022 R&D 100 Awards in the category of Process/Prototyping. Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only science and technology awards competition that recognises new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license.
The Green Machine provides a hydrothermal solution to separate and recycle cotton-polyester blended textiles at scale. The process uses only heat, water and less than 15 per cent of a biodegradable chemical to selectively decompose cotton into cellulose powders, thereby enabling the separation of the polyester fibres from the blends. The separated fibres are ready for reuse, while the cellulose powders can be converted into regenerated cellulose fibres and a durable water-repellent finishing reagent, or transformed into superabsorbent polymer for agricultural application.
In 2020, the first industrial scale Green Machine was set up in PT Kahatex (an established textile manufacturer) with a processing capacity of 1.5 tonnes per day. “We are delighted to receive this honour,” Edwin Keh, Chief Executive Officer of HKRITA said. “The Green Machine offers an efficient solution to deal with textile waste. The technology has quickly moved from a lab-scale project in 2016 to a market-ready, industrial-scale system today. When the Green Machine is enhanced with features like automation and smart manufacturing in the development, it will provide a viable post-consumer recycling solution to built-up cities like Hong Kong, which will be demonstrated by our new setup soon.”
Established in 2006, HKRITA is funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government and is hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. HKRITA contributes to the competitiveness of the textile and apparel industry by providing one-stop services in applied research, technology transfer and commercialisation.
