Textile waste management:
from waste to briquettes
Compact textile scraps into briquettes: reduce volume and disposal costs
Textile scraps—such as wool fibers, cotton, synthetic fibers, shredded fabric, and absorbent materials—are among the most difficult types of waste to manage for companies in the fashion, clothing, furnishing, and textile production sectors. They are lightweight, bulky, tend to tangle, and do not compact easily with standard briquetting machines.
COMAFER has developed the Special Series specifically for these materials (which must be pre-shredded if necessary). The series features a vertical pneumatic cylinder that forcibly conveys bulky fibers into the compaction chamber, allowing the formation of compact cylindrical briquettes from waste materials that would otherwise be unmanageable.
The Special Series is the only COMAFER solution equipped with a vertical pneumatic cylinder: a technology developed in-house to solve the specific problem of very bulky and lightweight materials that do not flow naturally by gravity toward the compaction chamber.
Wool and cotton industry
Raw fibers, carding waste, rovings, and defective yarns: the Special Series manages significant volumes of these lightweight and difficult-to-contain materials.
Clothing and garment industry
Fabric scraps, cutting offcuts, and waste rolls—lightweight, two-dimensional materials that the briquetting process effectively compacts (to be ground beforehand if necessary).
Absorbent materials industry
Diaper scraps, hygiene products, non-woven fabrics (NWFs), and wadding: the Special Series manages these particularly bulky materials with high yields.
Dyeing and textile finishing
Process residues, shredded material from suction systems, and non-compliant fabric: the briquetting machine collects them into a manageable form.
Textile collection and recycling
Bales of shredded used clothing and secondary fibers: briquetting facilitates storage and shipping to recycling centers.
Which textile materials can be briquetted?
The COMAFER Special series can process all major categories of textile materials, provided they have a moisture content between 8% and 17%.
Natural fibers
Wool (all qualities), cotton, flax fiber, jute, silk, hemp
Synthetic and blended fibers
Synthetic textile fiber, polyester, nylon, acrylic, cotton-polyester blends
Absorbent and non-woven materials
Absorbent material from diapers, NWF (non-woven fabric), wadding, and sanitary-hygiene material
Shredded fabric and processed material
Shredded fabric from suction systems, carding waste, rovings, and short fibers
Please note: absorbent materials must be dry before briquetting. For materials contaminated by moisture or chemicals, please contact us for a specific evaluation.
The concrete advantages of briquetting textile scraps
Briquetting offers concrete, measurable advantages:
-90% Volume
Light and voluminous residues like husk and chaff reduce in volume by up to 90% after briquetting: fewer containers, fewer trips, lower logistics costs.
+80% Combustion Efficiency
Biomass briquettes have a higher energy density than loose material. Exhausted pomace, shells, and oily residues reach very high calorific values.
-70% Recycling Costs
Briquettes cost less to dispose of and can be sold as renewable fuel to biomass markets.
Sustainability
The energy recovery of agro-industrial residues reduces emissions compared to disposal and contributes to the agri-food circular economy.
COMAFER’s Dinamic and Special series models for briquetting textiles
The Dinamic Series includes three progressive models to meet all production needs.
Dinamic 70S
Application
Small businesses
Estimated production
30-75 kg/h
Briquette dimensions
55mm
Dinamic 110S
Application
SMEs
Estimated production
50-110 kg/h
Briquette dimensions
60mm
Plus
Oil cooling system
Dinamic PRO M5
Application
Large enterprises
Estimated production
70-270 kg/h
Briquette dimensions
70mm
Plus
Oil cooling system
Siemens HMI
Automated System: From Briquette to Bag
COMAFER offers an integrated, turnkey system for the automated processing of wood chips into bagged briquettes.
For high production levels, it is possible to connect the briquetting machine directly to the processing or storage plant, achieving a fully automated production cycle.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about briquetting
Why is a vertical pneumatic cylinder needed for textiles?
Textile fibers have a very low bulk density (often less than 20 kg/m³) and tend to form tangles that prevent gravity flow into the compaction chamber of standard briquetting machines. The vertical pneumatic cylinder of the Special Series solves this problem by actively compressing the material from above into the drawer chamber, ensuring uniform filling during every cycle.
Can absorbent materials like diapers be briquetted?
Yes, absorbent material from diapers and sanitary-hygiene products is compatible with the Special Series, provided the material is dry (moisture < 17%). Damp or wet absorbent material is not suitable for standard briquetting. For specific applications in the healthcare sector, please contact us for a material evaluation.
Can textile scrap briquettes be marketed?
Briquettes made from natural fibers (wool, cotton) find a market in textile recycling centers and the recycled fiber industry (shoddy). The commercial value depends on the quality and homogeneity of the material. Synthetic fiber briquettes are marketable to polymer recyclers. In any case, briquetting increases the value compared to loose scraps.
Can the briquetting machine be connected to a textile suction system?
Yes. The Special Series can be connected to silos and filter banks. This configuration is particularly advantageous in companies where scraps are already collected via suction systems: the briquetting machine receives the material directly from the silo and compacts it automatically, without manual intervention.
Can mixed scraps (cotton + polyester) be briquetted?
Yes, blends compact normally. However, if the goal is commercialization for textile recycling, it is preferable to separate the flows by fiber type: briquettes made of pure material have a higher commercial value than blends. For pure disposal purposes, blends present no problems.
Manage textile scraps professionally
The Special Series was designed to solve exactly the problem of bulky fibers. Contact us for a test with your specific material.