Why You Can't Recycle Your Pants (Until Now)

Have you ever recycled a T-shirt? You might be able to soon. Lots of clothing is made from cotton and polyester interwoven so closely that it’s impossible to separate them without destroying the cotton. In this episode, George tests a newly discovered technique that could solve that problem, potentially changing the way we use and get rid of our clothes.

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Credits:
Executive Producer:
Matthew Radcliff

Producers:
Elaine Seward
Andrew Sobey
Darren Weaver

Writer:
George Zaidan

Host:
George Zaidan

Scientific Consultants:
Brianne Raccor, Ph.D.
Jiwoong Lee, Ph.D.
Yang Yang, Ph.D.
Michelle Boucher, Ph.D.

Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

This video displays proprietary technology developed by University of Copenhagen. Patent pending. The technology is undergoing development and is not yet commercially available.

Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2023 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Sources:

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Ab Initio Thermochemistry of Highly Flexible Molecules for Thermal Decomposition Analysis | Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs....

Denim Recycling Program | Madewell
https://www.madewell.com/inspo-do-wel...

Chemical Structure of Cotton Fibre – Online Textile Academy
https://www.onlinetextileacademy.com/...

Transacylation from Acid Amides to Amines Catalyzed by Carbon Dioxide | Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan
https://www.journal.csj.jp/doi/10.124...

The Carbon Dioxide-Catalyzed Ester Exchange Reaction | Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan
https://www.journal.csj.jp/doi/10.124...

Carbon Dioxide-Catalyzed Stereoselective Cyanation Reaction | ACS Catalysis
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CO2-Promoted Reactions: An Emerging Concept for the Synthesis of Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals | ACS Catalysis
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CO2-catalyzed/promoted transformation of organic functional groups - ScienceDirect
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Recycling of waste PET into useful textile auxiliaries - ScienceDirect
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Hydrolysis of waste polyethylene terephthalate catalyzed by easily recyclable terephthalic acid - ScienceDirect
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A CO2-Catalyzed Transamidation Reaction | The Journal of Organic Chemistry
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Catalytic Fabric Recycling: Glycolysis of Blended PET with Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia | ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acss...

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