US Patent 11891725 Recycling of cellulosic textiles

A method for recycling textiles comprising cellulose with the following steps of: optionally disintegrating the textile, swelling the cellulose, under reducing conditions, wherein at least one reducing agent is present at least during a part of the swelling, and then performing at least one of the following two bleaching steps in any order: i) bleaching the material with oxygen at alkaline conditions with a pH in the range 9-13.5, and ii) bleaching the material with ozone at acid conditions below pH 6. An advantage is that the yield is improved at the same time as excellent decolourization is achieved. If the recycled material is used in viscose manufacture, the risk of clogging nozzles and so on is reduced.