Where mechanical recycling does not arrive, new molecular recycling technologies give new hope for carpet recycling

The rugs and carpets are not well seen even in landfills because of their difficulty in disposal, therefore they pose a problem on the circularity of the products. The molecular recycling of plastic waste opens up new hopes.

Plastic was never born with the intention or foresight due, for those who produce it, to take into consideration its recycling which, contrary to its great longevity, is mainly used as disposable plastic.

This “carelessness” involves, in the production cycle, the intake of various types of additives, which by binding to the monomers of the product remain firmly united over time, in addition, in the creation of a new product, it can be combined with plastics of different chemical composition, thermally joined or through adhesives .

During the mechanical recycling phases these bonds remain well established, making it difficult to reuse recycled plastic as a new raw material . In fact, the mechanical plants for processing plastic waste separate, grind, wash and extrude the product without making substantial corrections in the polymer chains , but trying to create macro families of polymers to be reused.

There are compound products, such as some rugs and carpets , which are produced with a mechanically indissoluble mix of polymers and additives , which make their recycling very complicated.

For this reason , molecular recycling technology meets these needs by exploiting, through chemistry, the separation of the molecules of the elements that make up plastic products.

This means that the bonds that would be irreversible , if treated with mechanical recycling, become reversible with chemistry, allowing the plastic to be recycled as if they were new molecules, with which to reproduce new elements.

The process also meets the serious problem of landfills where non-recyclable products are parked and which remain unaltered for tens, perhaps hundreds of years , without a solution, being also incompatible with the environment.

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Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.