Recycling of wastes of the carpets and carpet linings

The analyses of the global and domestic markets of post-production and post-consumer carpet wastes and the methods of their recycling were presented (Table 1 and 2). The results of the own investigations concerning mechanical recycling of post-consumer carpet wastes are discussed. Defibered carpet wastes were applied as the fillers for thermoplastics' composites. The carpet wastes of polypropylene nap or polyacrylonitrile:polyamide 66 (80:20) one (Table 3) were used. Polypropylene or low-density polyethylene (primary one or agglomerate made of packaging film) were applied as polymer matrices. The dependence of mechanical properties of the composite on the type of polymer matrix and filler as well as on these components mutual ratio (Table 5-8, Fig. 5) was investigated. Polypropylene composites show the character of constructional plastics. The structures of the composites obtained (Fig. 6-9) as well as of the fibers obtained as a result of carpet waste' defibering (Fig. 4) were characterized by SEM method. Acoustic properties of the materials obtained were also studied (Table 9, Fig. 10). It was found they were fit to be the sound absorbing screens (acoustic insulating power > 30 dB).