Apparel and footwear preprocessor ReCircled has joined forces with Merrick & Company, which specializes in hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology integration, to develop technology for processing materials that fall outside of conventional recycling systems.
ReCircled has been working to develop capabilities to handle complex waste streams, including mixed textiles, EVA materials from sneaker soles and post-consumer leather, as well as multi-layer composite packaging and mixed hard and soft plastics with fiberglass and wood components.
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Through this new partnership, Merrick will take the engineering lead on ReCircled’s first HTL processing units, which will allow the company to better manage complex waste streams.
“From the beginning, we knew that collaboration was needed to build the systems that allow for recycling textiles at the highest level,” said Scott Kuhlman, CEO of ReCircled. “With Merrick’s engineering expertise in HTL technology, we’re now able to tackle waste streams that have never had a viable end-of-life solution. This partnership puts us on track to complete the circle for materials that were previously considered non- recyclable.”
Merrick’s HTL process uses heat and pressure to break down complex materials into useful forms, making it ideal for processing mixed-material waste such as that collected by ReCircled’s take-back programs and retail partnerships. For the system Merrick and ReCircled are developing together, particle size reduction is the key optimization factor for overall performance.
“We’re really happy to have Merrick on the team due to their comprehensive engineering capabilities and their expertise in HTL systems,” said Graham Towerton, director of engineering, ReCircled. “Merrick will be starting front-end loading work for ReCircled in July, while we conduct lab and pilot plant testing of several waste feedstocks over the next three months.”
Towerton joined ReCircled in June after a career in oil refining, petrochemicals, mining and biofuels, now focusing on consumer goods.
“It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for us,” said Kuhlman. “We’re thrilled to have Graham on our team and equally excited to have Merrick & Company supporting us as we begin engineering activities for the HTL process. This partnership puts us on track to complete the circle for materials that were previously considered non-recyclable.”
As the push toward circularity grows, mixed-material recycling has proven to be more of an obstacle due to everything from inconsistent collecting and sorting to the challenges presented by multiple fibers, finishes and dyes in the recycling process. ReCircled hopes this collaboration with Merrick will help them find solutions to those issues and promote more widespread adoption of post-consumer textile, leather and shoe recycling.
ReCircled has previously partnered with brands such as Kaltex U.S.A. to create a vertical, transparent supply chain for circular denim in the Western hemisphere. And the recycler also expanded into the Asian market with its Patchworks platform with Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nakano Co.
