Is hydrogen from textile waste an option for Bavaria?
Textile waste must be recycled
The textile industry is the third largest industrial sector worldwide and the second largest consumer goods sector in Germany. The non-profit organisation Textile Exchange determined that less than 1 % of textile waste worldwide is recycled and predicted a fibre production of 132 million tonnes worldwide for the year 2025.
From 2025 onwards, companies placing textiles on the market in the EU will have to provide proof of material or energy recovery in accordance with the Waste Textiles Regulation. In particular natural and synthetic fibre blends pose a challenge for material recycling.
How can hydrogen be produced from textile waste?
This is the question that bifa has been investigating together with the Augsburg Institute of Textile Technology since the beginning of 2022 in a study funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the Association of the Bavarian Textile and Clothing Industry (Verband der Bayerischen Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie e. V.) and the Bavarian Business Association (vbw - Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e. V.).
The aim of this study is to determine the economic potential of textile recycling and hydrogen production from textile waste in Bavaria. For this purpose, among other approaches, a representative sorting of textile waste will be carried out to determine the hydrogen potential and a process engineering approach will be conceptualised to reforming.
