Researchers in Australia have found a way to separate blends of cotton and polyester. This has been hailed as a major breakthrough for recycling textile and other waste.

A significant hurdle to recycling waste clothing and other textiles into their original fibers was that most of this material is composed of blended fibers - the most common being polyester and cotton blends. While it is easy to recycle cotton and polyester individually, it is not possible to mechanically separate the blends where the fibers are closely bonded together.

However the researchers have developed a simple process to separate polyester and cotton blends into their individual components using an ionic liquid or a salt in a liquid state.

Unlike harsh solvents which have previously been used to dissolve polyester, ionic liquids provide an environmentally friendly solvent to chemically separate polyester and cotton blends. Another benefit of using ionic liquids is the ease with which the polyester and cotton can be separated.

The ionic liquid selectively dissolves the cotton component, with the added advantage that the liquid can then be recycled and reused. This cotton can then be regenerated into various forms, such as spun into fibers or cast as cellulose films, like cellophane.