From Textile Wastes to Fibers for Cementitious Mortar

This experimental work studied the addition of five different fiber types in cementitious mortars to assess the feasibility of reusing textile waste for innovative, sustainable construction materials. This included comparing fibers derived from untreated cotton/polyester textile waste and polyester fibers after chemical removal of the cotton, as well as a synthetic-fiber-based fraction from an operational textile waste plant. Two commercial fibers of varying staple lengths served as benchmarks. Fibers were analyzed from geometrical, physical, and chemical perspectives and then added at a dosage of 1% by weight of cement in mortars (cement-to-aggregate ratio of 1:3 and a water-to-cement ratio of 0.83). Various specimens were prepared and tested to evaluate workability and free drying shrinkage, flexural strength, and compressive strength. The waste fiber-based mortars demonstrated the best performance in terms of flexural strength, achieving values 10% higher than the reference. Conversely, compressive strength was unaffected by the type of fibers added to the mixture. The mechanical performance results were confirmed by SEM observations of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between fibers and cement paste. This confirms the feasibility of reusing filaments obtained from textile wastes as fiber reinforcement of cement-based mortars.