The Anonymous Widower

H&M Move Partners With Lanzatech To Launch Capsule Collection Using Captured Carbon Emissions

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from H & M.

This is the sub-heading.

This is the stuff of science fiction: LanzaTech diverts carbon emissions heading for the atmosphere, traps them, and turns them into thread. In a leap towards innovating sportswear, H&M Move partners with the breakthrough material science company for a drop arriving at hm.com/move on April 6.

And this is an H & M image of some of the clothes on a young lady.

Not bad considering that the polyester thread was made using carbon emissions from a steelworks.

Lanzatech’s Process

This paragraph from the H & M press release outlines the process.

Using three simple steps, LanzaTech captures carbon emissions from steel mills, traps them in bioreactors and converts them into the same building blocks that conventional polyester is made of. This revolutionary solution helps reduce pollution and limits the use of virgin fossil resources needed to make new products.

So does this mean that lots of products made from polyester can use the polyester made by Lanzatech?

As I worked for ICI Plastics Division, who had a polyester plant, that was used to make Melinex film, I suspect the answer is yes from the knowledge I picked up at the time.

Out of curiosity, I typed “polyester underwear men’s” into Google and there’s quite a lot of it about. Including some from Marks and Spencer that I own.  Marks and Spencer also do a similar product for the ladies. Both products have a high proportion of polyester and could best be described as everyday.

I must find mine comfortable, as I have been buying them for some years now!

So it looks like it might be possible to replace a proportion of the  fossil fuel-based polyester with one made from captured carbon dioxide.

And this can this be used in the same way as the fossil fuel-based polyester.

The Wikipedia entry for polyester is full of useful information and is very much a must-read.

This table gives world PET (polyethylene terephthalate) production for 2008 in millions tonnes/year

• Textile – 39
• Resin, bottle – 16
• Film – 1.5
• Special – 2.5

Note.

1. Bottle includes, the bottles used for soft drinks, washing up liquid etc.
2. Film is high quality and was used as recording tape, but now it’s mainly for packaging.
3. Special includes engineering plastics.

Wikipedia has this section on recycling, where this is said.

Recycling of polymers has become very important as the production and use of plastic is continuously rising. Global plastic waste may almost triple by 2060 if this continues. Plastics can be recycled by various means like mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, etc. Among the recyclable polymers, polyester PET is one of the most recycled plastic. The ester bond present in polyesters is susceptible to hydrolysis (acidic or basic conditions), methanolysis and glycolysis which makes this class of polymers suitable for chemical recycling. Enzymatic/biological recycling of PET can be carried out using different enzymes like PETase, cutinase, esterase, lipase, etc. PETase has been also reported for enzymatic degradation of other synthetic polyesters (PBT, PHT, Akestra™, etc) which contains similar aromatic ester bond as that of PET.

Note that PET is one of the most recycled plastics.

So it looks like the LanzaTech process can not only use carbon dioxide, it can also create a product that can be recycled.

April 11, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, World | Carbon Capture And Use, Clothes, H & M, LanzaTech, Polyester, Recycling