Develop cost effective and deployable solutions for collecting and sorting textile waste in the urban environment

BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

Each year 90 million metric tons of textile waste is generated globally and 190,000 metric tons in Singapore alone. However, only a tiny fraction of it is recycled. There is virtually no demand for used apparels in Singapore and the demand from overseas is also diminishing partly due to banning of cross border shipment of waste streams. Currently there is no proper solution for textile waste collection and management in Singapore, and most textile waste is incinerated.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS / PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:

The technical requirements and performance criteria as outlined below are directly relevant to SusTex as well as the wider industry needs. We expect the solution to be implementable across the textile waste sorting industry.

• The system is to be built within a box with internal dimensions of 5.8m x 2.2m x 2.2m(Ht).
• The system is to be able to disentangle a pile of randomly deposited textile waste, entering the side of the said box by manual conveyance through a portal.
• The average rate of textile deposition is 20 kg/h of textile waste with a peak rate of deposition of 100 kg/h.
• The system is to be able to determine the % cotton and % polyester in the textile.
• And can sort the textile into 7 categories
• >95% cotton
• >95% polyester
• >70% cotton
• >70% polyester
• >50% cotton
• >50% polyester
• Others
• With a sorting accuracy of less than 1 error in 1,000 sorted pieces
• The system will send out the said 7 categories of sorted textile through the side of the box into the external environment through 7 separate portals.
• The system must perform the identification of the textile, perform sorting and discharge the sorted textile outside the box within 60 seconds of the textile being deposited.
• The system should be self-running without manual intervention.
• The Full-Scale system must be able to perform continuously for 72 hours with the said specifications without stoppages or the need for manual intervention for maintenance.
• Preventative maintenance of the system every 72 hours shall not take more than 60 minutes.

SusTex is willing to work with selected solution providers to provide more context and co-define the specific (pilot) solution.

COST TARGET

Cost target for the prototype system to be discussed jointly.

TIMEFRAME FOR DEVELOPMENT

Phase 1: Conceptual design and the fabrication of a working prototype within 3 months from start of project (Q1-Q2 - 2023)

Phase 2: Full-scale system to be operational within 12 months from start of project

Phase 3: The full-scale system will then be put through operational stress testing for a period 24 months where it will be loaded with a daily average of 20 kg/h of textile waste with two peak loads of 100 kg/h every 48 hours and with manual preventative maintenance every 72 hours (for a maximum time of 1 hour) if necessary.

POTENTIAL MARKET / BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

If the full-scale system performs satisfactorily during the 24 months of operational qualification, multiple units of the full scale system will be ordered for field deployment. Afterwards additional orders can be discussed depending on satisfactory results of the system.

Besides the potential follow-on commercial engagements with SusTex, the solution could be rolled out generically for the textile recycling system. Additionally, with small modifications, applications can be found in plastics as well as electronics waste recycling.

RESOURCES

Funding will be provided to build the prototype and full-scale system if successful.

• SusTex is willing to support the selected solution providers with a budget for supporting the POC or Pilot of up to S$25,000 SGD
• SusTex will support the selected solution providers with additional resources including: project management, access to a pilot site etc
• SusTex is willing to further support full product commercialization if the efficacy of the solution is proven

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

This project falls within SusTex Strategy for building the Sustainable Textile eco-system. We are targeting the innovator community so the focus lies on SMEs and start-ups. SusTex is looking for a Technology Readiness Level of 7 and above. We are prioritizing solutions in Singapore first, but can look at solution providers across Asia. SusTex is willing to engage in shared IP ownership discussion in case new Foreground IP is created as part of the collaboration. Note: Other effective ideas that may exceed the above dimensional & throughput constraints can be considered

Contact / source: Enterprise Singapore Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge - Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 2022 (innovation-challenge.sg)