IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,351,983
Granted Patent B2
US 12,351,983 · App. 18/062,384 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Pretreatment methods for cotton textile waste fabric

Inventors: Mary Ann Ankeny (Raleigh, NC); Matthew J. Farrell (Apex, NC); Ronalds Gonzalez (Apex, NC); Hasan Jameel (Raleigh, NC)
Assignees: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY; Cotton Incorporated
D21D1/34D21B1/14D21D1/40D21H17/67
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,351,983
App. No.
18/062,384
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is mechanical and decolorization pretreatment of cotton-containing textiles, such as “trash” feedstock in terms of end-of-life-cotton textiles, that may be used to produce sugar without the use of harsh pretreatments conditions.

Claims (35)

1. A method of pretreating cotton-containing textile material comprising refining the cotton-containing textile material in a PFI mill for between about 2,000 and 20,000 revolutions,

wherein the method does not comprise a pretreatment step that requires neutralization from use of an acid or base, recovery of any solvent, or rinsing steps necessitated from a pretreatment that requires components to be removed before hydrolysis and/or fermentation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises pretreatment comprising mechanical pretreatment, chemical, enzymatic pretreatment, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mechanical pretreatment is substantially free of the use of chemicals.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mechanically pretreated cotton-containing textile material comprises between about 1% and 50% fines by weight.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fiber length LWL (mm) of the mechanically pretreated cotton-containing textile material is between about 0.1 mm and 2.00 mm.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) of mechanically pretreated cotton-containing textile material is between about 100 and 900 CSF milliliters.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mechanically pretreated cotton-containing textile is in the form of a powder.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein a Wiley Mill is used for the cutting step.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mechanical pretreatment is performed before decolorization of the cotton-containing textile material.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises shredding the cotton-containing textile material, cutting the cotton-containing textile material, and milling the cotton-containing textile material prior to refining the cotton-containing textile material in PFI mill.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a solvent is added to the cotton-containing textile material prior to refining in a PFI mill.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the solvent is water.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the solvent is added before, during, or both before and during refining.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated cotton-containing textile material to produce a hydrolysate.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises decolorizing the cotton-containing textile material.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the decolorizing step comprises bleaching.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises adding Cu 2+ .

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises adding Fe 2+ .

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of refining is between about 2,000 and 20,000 PFI revs.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises subjecting the pretreated cotton-containing textile material to hydrolysis to produce a hydrolysate.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the hydrolysis comprises enzyme hydrolysis comprising the addition of at least one hydrolytic enzyme.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the enzyme hydrolysis comprises the addition combination of a cellulase and a β-glucosidase.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the method further comprises subjecting the hydrolysate to fermentation to produce an end product.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the end product produced by fermentation comprises alcohols, sugar alcohols, acids, fatty acids, gases, amino acids, chemicals, and mixtures thereof.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method does not comprise a step that requires the use of an acid.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cotton-containing textiles comprise cotton, cotton-blend garments, cotton-polyester blend garments, or mixtures thereof.

27. A method of processing cotton-containing textile material comprising

(a) shredding the cotton-containing textile material;

(b) cutting the cotton-containing textile material;

(c) milling the cotton-containing textile material;

(d) refining the cotton-containing textile material in a PFI mill for between about 2,000 and 20,000 revolutions; and

(e) subjecting the cotton-containing textile material to hydrolysis to produce a hydrolysate,

wherein the method does not comprise a pretreatment step that requires neutralization from use of an acid or base, recovery of any solvent, or rinsing steps necessitated from a pretreatment that requires components to be removed before hydrolysis and/or fermentation.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the cotton-containing textiles comprise cotton, cotton-blend garments, cotton-polyester blend garments, or mixtures thereof.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 6, 2022
From: ANKENY, MARY ANN; FARRELL, MATTHEW
To: COTTON INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 061999/0513 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 6, 2022
From: JAMEEL, HASAN; GONZALEZ, RONALDS
To: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 061999/0667 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63287355 · Dec 8, 2021
Related Publication 20230175205A1 · Jun 8, 2023
References Cited (33)
US 4978364A · Walker · 1990 [cited by applicant]
US 6066494A · Hsieh · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 7771565B2 · Kirov · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 11421257B2 · Farrell et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20090044345A1 · Schlingloff · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20160160253A1 · Larsen · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160201102A1 · Zhu et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20210269969A1 · Brelid · 2021 [cited by examiner]
WO 2021003077A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2021226094A1 · 2021 [cited by examiner]
WO 2023107947A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report for PCT/US2022/081020, mailed Jun. 15, 2023. [cited by applicant]
Written Opinion for PCT/US2022/081020, mailed Jun. 15, 2023. [cited by applicant]
Wyman et al., “Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Several Lignocellulosic Feedstocks to Fuel Ethanol,” Biomass and Bioenergy, 1992, 3(5): 301-307. [cited by applicant]
“Laboratory beating of pulp (PFI mill method),” approved by the Pulp Properties Committee of the Process and Product Quality Division, TAPPI, 2000, pp. 1-6. [cited by applicant]
“Textiles: Material-Specific Data,” retrieved from <https://epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specific-data> on Oct. 7, 2021, pp. 1-5. [cited by applicant]
Beall, “Why are clothes so hard to recycle,” Jul. 12, 2020, British Broadcasting Corporation website, pp. 1-10. [cited by applicant]
Li et al., “Biodegradability study on cotton and polyester fabrics,” J. Eng. Fiber. Fabr., vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 42-53, 2010. [cited by applicant]
Singh and Satapathy, “Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Bioethanol: An Overview with a Focus on Pretreatment,” Int. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 15, pp. 17-43, 2018. [cited by applicant]
Rojas (ed.), “Cellulose Chemistry and Properties : Fibers, Nanocelluloses and Advanced Materials,” (book), Springer, New York, 2016, ISSN: 0065-3195. [cited by applicant]
Hamawand et al., “Bioenergy from Cotton Industry Wastes: A review and potential,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 66, pp. 435-448, 2016. [cited by applicant]
Johnson et al. “Supply Chain of Waste Cotton Recycling and Reuse : A Review,” AATCC Journal of Research, 2020, 7(1):19-31, abstract only. [cited by applicant]
Alvira et al. “Pretreatment technologies for an efficient bioethanol production process based on enzymatic hydrolysis: A review,” Bioresour. Technol., 2010, 101(13): 4851-4861. [cited by applicant]
Abbati De Assis et al., “Risk management consideration in the bioeconomy,” Biofuels, Bioprod. Biorefining, 2017, 11: 549-566, abstract only. [cited by applicant]
Chandra et al., “Substrate pretreatment: The key to effective enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosics?,” Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol., 2007, 108: 67-93. [cited by applicant]
Bajpai, “Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass,” Springer, Singapore, 2016, Chapter 4, pp. 17-70. [cited by applicant]
Heinze et al, Cellulose Chemistry and Properties : Fibers , Nanocelluloses and Advanced Materials, vol. 271. Springer International Publishing, 2016 (book): 1-52. [cited by applicant]
Hendricks et al., “Pretreatments to enhance the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass,” Bioresour. Technol., 100(1): 10-18, Jan. 2009. [cited by applicant]
Corbett et al., “Fiber fractionation to understand the effect of mechanical refining on fiber structure and resulting enzymatic digestibility of biomass,” Biotechnol. Bioeng.,2020, 117: 924-932. [cited by applicant]
De Assis et al., “Toward an understanding of the increase in enzymatic hydrolysis by mechanical refining,” 2018, Biotechnol. Biofuels, vol. 11, pp. 1-11. [cited by applicant]
Gharehkani et al., “Basic effects of pulp refining on fiber properties—A review,” 2015, Carbohydr. Polym. , El Seiver, 115: pp. 1-5. [cited by applicant]
Buschle-Diller & Traore, “Influence of direct and reactive dyes on the enzymatic hydrolysis of cotton,” Textile Research Journal, 1998, 68(3): 185-192. [cited by applicant]
Chakraborty et al., Modeling energy consumption for the generation of microfibres from bleached kraft pulp fibres in a PFI mill, BioResources, 2007, pp. 210-222, vol. 2-2. [cited by applicant]