The project was initiated by carpet recycling trade association Carpet Recycling UK with the intention of finding recycling outlets for post-consumer carpets and possible end-markets for polypropylene (PP) from recovered sources.
However, carpet recycling is a nascent industry in the UK, with only 2% of the 500,000 tonnes of carpet waste produced each year currently being recycled and the remainder going to landfill or incineration.
Axion said tests at the plastics recycling facility its sister operation Axion Polymers runs in Salford found that plastic extracted from waste PP carpets in the form of an extruded polymer had the potential to be used in applications such as injection-moulded projects.
The London-based firm stressed that further testing was required to truly assess its sustainability and said that a large-scale trial would be required to demonstrate the commercial viability of the scheme.
Roger Morton, director of Axion, said: “We believe this is the first in-depth study of its kind in the UK 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.”
Axion said that, while the economics of the recycling process “looked promising”, it was “critical to the viability of a commercial process” that PP carpets were separated from mixed polymer carpets. This is because mixed polymer carpets are not suitable for extrusion.
Carpet Recycling
Chief executive of Carpet Recycling UK, Kate Chappell, said: “This study shows there is great potential to reclaim valuable material from carpet waste and re-use it in new products in a variety of end markets. We are actively pursuing fresh sources of funding to take this exciting breakthrough to new levels.”
Carpet Recycling UK said it would now seek further research and was keen to pursue the commercial-scale trial of the PP carpet recycling process.
The trade body revealed in November 2009 that it intends to develop a National Action Plan to help stimulate a growth in the sector with a specific focus on broadloom carpets and improving collection of the material (see letsrecycle.com story).
Funding for the Axion trial was provided by Envirolink Northwest, which aims to aid the growth of energy and environmental technologies and services sector in the North-West of England.
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