Fuchshuber is a partner of SOLSTICE, a Horizon Europe project funded by the European Union. SOLSTICE supports sustainable growth in the textile sector by raising customer awareness and improving recycling through new sorting methods. It is also intended to ensure the traceability of raw materials with the help of the digital product passport and to provide decision-makers with data and guidelines. The focus of the joint project with European partners is on textiles made of polyester (PET), elastane-containing and PU-coated materials as well as polyamides and in particular aramides.
Fuchshuber supplies used aramid textiles and yarns
Fuchshuber's contribution to the project is in the area of "Reusability of textile polymers, coatings and high-quality plastics through physico-chemical recycling". In concrete terms, this means that FUCHSHUBER provides used fabrics or yarns made of aramid, which are then dissolved, purified and respun. Ionic liquid technology is used for this purpose. In the further course of the project, Fuchshuber will knit the newly spun yarns made from recycled fibers again.
Impressive results
In a spring meeting at the DITF (German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research) in Denkendorf, the SOLSTICE project partners gained insight into the progress made in the physicochemical recycling of aramid fibers. Rüdiger Reuter, Managing Director of Fuchshuber Techno-Tex, says: "We were very impressed by the results. The fiber quality seems to be at least as good as with new fibers. At least on a laboratory scale, we are well on the way to a closed loop in aramid processing. " Dr. Frank Gähr, Head of Research at the DITF and responsible for the scientific part of the project, explains: "The new Ionic Liquid Technology process represents a significant step forward in the recycling of aramid yarns and fabrics. The first attempts with FUCHSHUBER on this solution approach date back 10 years. At that time, the topic of textile recycling was hardly present in the media. Now it has become completely different. So you could say that Fuchshuber Techno-Tex as an innovation driver was ahead of its time at the time."
About Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the EU's central funding programme for research and innovation. The programme aims to combat climate change, contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and promote the EU's competitiveness and growth. It is making enormous efforts to achieve this. Following the decision on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework, the indicative funding amount for Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2027 is EUR 93.5 billion.
SOLSTICE is a Horizon Europe project. It started on May 1, 2024 and will last 42 months. It is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101134989.