Waste Textiles: An Untapped "Energy Goldmine"!

Waste textiles
15 May 2025  |
Using discarded textiles as alternative fuel in cement kilns plays a vital role in resource conservation and carbon reduction. Waste textiles have uniform composition and low impurity content, making them ideal for conversion into SRF/RDF (Solid Recovered Fuel/Refuse-Derived Fuel) with a typical particle size of 50–300 mm.

Why Waste Textiles?

  • High Calorific Value = Cost Savings
  • Baled for easy transport & sale
  • Dry-base calorific value: ~5,000 × 4.18 kJ/kg
  • Pure polyester textiles: 5,500 kcal/kg (comparable to lignite)
  • Blended fabrics: >4,000 kcal/kg
  • Average combustion value: 4,500–5,000 kcal/kg (75% of coal)

When supplied to cement plants, waste textiles significantly reduce coal consumption and procurement costs.

HARDEN’s Solution: High-Efficiency RDF/SRF Production

With over a decade of expertise in waste processing, Harden Machinery Ltd. delivers an optimized solution for converting waste textiles into high-calorific RDF/SRF. Core Concept: “Finer Shredding, Faster Sorting, More Precise Separation”. Guided by this principle, HARDEN has developed a dedicated textile RDF/SRF production system, offering higher efficiency and precision for industrial waste processing.

Key Applications

The system processes:

  • Waste textiles (discarded clothing, fabric scraps)
  • Leather offcuts
  • Waste plastics & other general industrial waste

Advanced Processing: “Shredding + Air Classification + Magnetic Separation”

Primary shredding → Metal/heavy material removal

Fine shredding → Final RDF/SRF size: 30–80 mm

The Future of Industrial Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recover

Converting waste textiles, leather, and plastics into high-energy RDF/SRF represents a sustainable shift in industrial waste management:

  • Cost savings (reduced fossil fuel dependency)
  • Major carbon footprint reduction

HARDEN is driving the transition toward zero-waste, low-carbon industrial production.

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Founded in 2010, HARDEN MACHINERY LTD. is the expert in the design and manufacturing of industry shredders, sorting machines, and processing lines for various types of solid waste disposal. With its advanced technology, R&D capability,...

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