Trials conducted by the British firm Axion Consulting show that polypropylene-based carpets can be recycled into a polymer pellet that can be used in a range of new applications.
The project, initiated by Carpet Recycling UK, is expected to help stimulate the carpet recycling industry in the United Kingdom, as well as help develop new markets for PP recyclate throughout the country. That plan was to investigate recycling options for post-consumer carpets and possible new end-use markets for PP products made from recovered material.
Carpet Recycling UK secured funding from Envirolink NW for the project.
Tests showed that while post-industrial extruded polymer had potential for a host of uses, further work is needed to verify its suitability. Post-consumer material could be recycled for medium to lower grade applications.
Axion’s demonstration trials and laboratory tests at its Salford plant concluded that while the economics of the recycling process show promise, the next steps would require large-scale trials to assess commercial viability.
“We believe this is the first in-depth study of its kind in the U.K. and are very pleased with the positive results. Carpet recycling in the UK is currently limited with only a few companies involved and recycling processing in development stages. So this successful study shows exciting potential and promise for material recovery from a difficult and largely-ignored waste stream,” says Roger Morton, Axion’s director.
Axion also found that correct identification and segregation of post-consumer carpets into an entirely PP fraction is critical to the viability of a commercial process to recycle carpets. Mixed polymer carpet material is not suitable for extrusion, so their end market is still likely to be other applications.
Currently, few recycling processes exist to handle the 500,000 metric tons of carpet waste that are landfilled a year.
The UK’s carpet industry recycling rate is less than 2 percent - an estimated 6,000-10,000 metric tons – so developing reprocessing infrastructure could significantly reduce the environmental impact of carpet disposal.
Carpet Recycling UK was formed as a not-for-profit association of companies from the carpet industry to take a lead in waste reduction by coordinating research and development and has built up a significant knowledge base. The organization is now seeking further research funding and wants to pursue commercial scale carpet recycling trials.
“By funding trials to help divert post-consumer waste carpets from landfill, Envirolink is actively supporting the government's directives to reduce landfill, while building a low carbon economy in the region. This successful outcome will have both environmental and economic benefits, as future growth in the region's recycling sector will help to create and safeguard jobs,” says Dave Taylor, a spokesman for Envirolink Northwest.