Closing the loop of wool by chemical recycling?

Room A
Friday, 09/12/2025, 11:35 - 11:55

We address the challenge of wool waste by developing chemical recycling processes to extract keratin from unused wool fractions. The recovered keratin can be spun into new fibers, creating a high-value material from an underutilized resource. This approach offers a sustainable pathway for advancing circularity in the textile industry.

Speakers
Juliane Wipperfürth (ITA Institut für Textiltechnik der RWTH Aachen University)
Co-Speakers
Christine Brien (ORTOVOX Sportartikel GmbH)
Approximately 30–35% of wool produced cannot be directly utilized in the textile industry, resulting in significant amounts of waste. Due to its high nitrogen content derived from amino acids, improper disposal of this fraction poses environmental risks. Moreover, conventional recycling methods are generally insufficient for recovering valuable components from wool, leading to further material losses and potential pollution. Our work investigates chemical recycling as a targeted strategy to address this challenge. Specifically, we focus on processes for extracting keratin from wool residues and converting it into fibers through spinning techniques. This approach enables the valorization of an otherwise underutilized resource and contributes to advancing sustainable material cycles within the textile industry.