Recovery and Reuse of Waste PVC Coated Fabrics. Part 2: Analysis of the Components Separated from PVC Coated PET Fabrics

Abstract

The second part of this work is devoted to the analysis of the swelling process, i.e., phase separation of swelling bath, solubility properties of coated fabrics in swelling bath, and swelling extent of each component in coated fabrics. A variety of analytical methods was used to characterize the separation sol vent, the amount and removeability of the glue, the changes in the chemical and physical properties of the PVC and PET polymers during the processes, and the extent of recovery of the plasticizer. Initial recovery PET fabrics (scraps) were fur ther treated with removal of glue from the fabric surface in a dimethyl formamide (DMF) solution. The final product was the recycled PET fiber (staple). The struc ture and performance of recovered PET fiber were examined by several testing techniques, such as, DSC, WAXD, birefringence, acoustics emission, and tensile testing. Experimental results were evaluated and analyzed to draw optimal parame ters that would make mass production feasible.

The results may lay the groundwork for a commercial recovery process of this very important group of individual fabrics. As an example, the recovered PET scraps were directly used to reinforce the epoxy resin composites to demonstrate an application of the recovered product. In another application, the recovered PET staple was opened and combed on a special machine, then needle-punched to form a nonwoven fabric as another application example.

The first part of this work, "Part 1: Experimental Procedures and Separation of Fabric Components," appeared in the last issue of this journal [14].

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