Using Infrared Raman Spectroscopy with Machine Learning and Deep Learning as an Automatic Textile-Sorting Technology for Waste Textiles

With the fast-fashion trend, an increasing number of discarded clothing items are being eliminated at the stages of both pre-consumer and post-consumer each year. The linear economy produces large volumes of waste, which harm environmental sustainability. This study addresses the pressing need for efficient textile recycling in the circular economy (CE). We developed a highly accurate Raman-spectroscopy-based textile-sorting technology, which overcomes the challenge of diverse fiber combinations in waste textiles. By categorizing textiles into six groups based on their fiber compositions, the sorter improves the quality of recycled fibers. Our study demonstrates the potential of Raman spectroscopy in providing detailed molecular compositional information, which is crucial for effective textile sorting. Furthermore, AI technologies, including PCA, KNN, SVM, RF, ANN, and CNN, are integrated into the sorting process, further enhancing the efficiency to 1 piece per second with a precision of over 95% in grouping textiles based on the fiber compositional analysis. This interdisciplinary approach offers a promising solution for sustainable textile recycling, contributing to the objectives of the CE.