Textile Recycling Technologies, Colouring and Finishing Methods

3.4.2.1 Mechanical Recycling 
Open Loop Recycling System (Pre-Consumer and Post-Consumer Waste): From this process, the recycled wool is mechanically pulled 
into their fibrous form and used as raw materials for new industrial products. Nonwoven fabrics are most commonly produced from this 
recovery system and used for the production of insulator pads for mattress or furniture, automotive felts and insulating materials, and 
oil sorbent sheeting.
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Nonwoven products are less sensitive to impacts on properties due to shorter fibre lengths, and the products 
derived from this system contribute to greater sustainability owing to a substantially longer second operational life.
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 Figure 21 details 
basic steps in an open loop recycling system for wool, and examples of products and compositional requirements.
Figure 21: Open-loop recycling system for wool, with examples. 
Reproduced and modified from [23,109]. 

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Closed Loop Recycling System (Post-Consumer Waste): During this process, garments are 
mechanically pulled into their raw fibre state (carding) and reused as raw material in the respinning 
back to yarn by conventional processes.
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The yarn can be used to produce new high-value 
garments. With the impact of fibre breakage during mechanical recycling, the respun yarn will 
contain a blended proportion of virgin fibre, which can either be virgin wool, or synthetic fibre 
(reduce raw material costs in yarn manufacture
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). The sorting of wool by colour, may also be a 
means of eliminating the need for subsequent dyeing processes.
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 Figure 22 summarizes the basic 
steps in the closed loop recycling for wool.
Figure 22: Basic steps in closed loop recycling of wool. 
Reproduced from [109]. 

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