Old socks become biochar in the steel industry
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Högskolan i Borås - Science Park Borås |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 000 000 |
| Project duration | April 2025 - March 2026 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Regulation and cutting-edge technology |
| Call | Rules and instruments for cutting-edge technology |
Purpose and goal
Test of how material flow for low quality textile waste, for example broken socks, can be developed. Municipal collection responsibility is combined with technological development and industrial demand. Instead of incineration, textile waste is converted into biochar for the steel industry´s needs. The aim is to build up material flow between municipalities, textile companies, pyrolysis companies and steel companies and explore how rules and instruments can work. Prepare for scaling up.
Expected effects and result
Requirements for collecting and sorting within the framework of municipal textile waste collection Policy development that supports circulation of textile waste based on sustainability aspects and existing and future legal requirements. Implementation of pyrolysis Environmental assessment Synergies towards the government assignment Textile and Fashion 2030 and national demonstrator for a sustainable textile system. Compaction of pyrolyzed material, chemical analysis. Prepare scaling.
Planned approach and implementation
Collection and design of requirements specification for sorting municipal textile waste. Implementation of pyrolysis. Compaction and testing based on quality requirements. Environmental assessment. In parallel, the project is working on the question of whether existing policy supports the work with material circulation between producers, municipalities, pyrolysis companies and the steel industry and how policy can be designed. Dissemination of experiences and results will be done.