Development of a closed-loop process toward waste cotton textile upcycling into efficient ozonation catalysts for water purification

Qian Hu; Zhenhua Wang; Xiaoyang Qiu; Wenbin Jiang; Zhiqiang Qin; Shanli Wang; Licong Xu; Minghua Wu; Xiaomin Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132883

Development of a closed-loop process toward waste cotton textile upcycling into efficient ozonation catalysts for water purification

Bioresour Technol. 2025 Jun 25:132883. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132883. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qian Hu¹, Zhenhua Wang¹, Xiaoyang Qiu¹, Wenbin Jiang¹, Zhiqiang Qin², Shanli Wang¹, Licong Xu¹, Minghua Wu³, Xiaomin Zhu⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China.
² Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Bio-based Fiber Materials, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles (Ministry of Education), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China. Electronic address: xzhu@zstu.edu.cn.

PMID: 40578704
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132883

Abstract

Upcycling waste cotton into high-value catalysts offers a more sustainable and promising alternative to conventional landfill disposal. In this study, a closed-loop upcycling process was established to converts waste cotton into efficient ozonation catalysts for the treatment and reuse of textile wastewater. Through a simple pyrolysis process, waste cotton textiles are transformed into carbonaceous catalysts (WCCs), with high-temperature treatment at 800 ℃ optimizing the mesoporous structure, graphitic carbon content, and defect density. These structural features significantly improve the surface reactants adsorption and facilitate the electron transfer. As a result, the WCC800/O₃ system exhibits a significantly higher p-nitrophenol (4-NP) removal efficiency with an observed pseudo-first-order kinetic rate constant (k_obs) of 0.221 min^-1, representing a improvement by 11.6 % over commercial activated carbon (AC)/O₃ system. Furthermore, WCC800 catalyst demonstrates strong resistance to interference from high-salinity and water-soluble organic matrices, making it well-suited for the advanced treatment of complex printing and dyeing (P&D) wastewater. The treated effluent meets quality standards for reuse in textile dyeing processes, thereby closing the loop in both waste cotton textile and wastewater recycling. Life cycle assessment (LCA) confirms a reduction in the environmental impacts associated with textiles disposal. This work presents a sustainable and circular strategy for the valorization of waste cotton in environmental remediation.

Keywords: Carbonaceous ozonation catalysts; Closed-loop recycling; Electron transfer pathway; Waste cotton; Wastewater treatment.