New separation process for elastane from polyester/elastane and polyamide/elastane textile waste

•Six different organic solvents were tested for their performance in dissolving elastane out of textile waste.•Lab-scale development of a process for the successful separation of elastane from textile waste based on a non-hazardous, environmentally friendly alternative solvent.•Proof with spectroscopic and thermal methods that process conditions cause no changes in the fully recovered polyester and polyamide.•Complete recovery and simultaneous purification of the solvent used for elastane separation in a closed loop is possible.