Circular economy for technical textile waste
Hilaturas Arnau aim is the development of a flame-retardant yarn based on recycled content with improved technical properties (as close as possible to the virgin ones), applying for seats used in public transports and public areas as cinema, for example. The pilot will focus on the usage and optimization of recycled para-aramid yarns, where we will address two key issues within this pilot:
- First is related with tensile strength properties because using recycled content properties are not the same than raw materials; needs to be improved.
- and, other is related with color – para-aramid presents a yellow color and sometimes is visible by the exterior fabric used in seats and needs to be changed by other colours keeping same original properties.
In both cases, the recycled yarn should maintain fire-resistance properties since some preliminary tests with UHMWPE has shown good properties but missing all the fire resistance properties since UHMWPE is flammable.
Hence, Hilaturas Arnau will develop different compositions of yarns based on recycled para-aramid by combining with other fibers such as Vectran, Nexylon, meta-aramid, as well as using mechanical treatments to the yarn such as twisting. The final product will be a recycled product which is based on para-aramid with good fire-resistance properties, increased mechanical properties, and cut resistance for being able to pass final product standards and with the desired colour.
Objective: produce technical yarns made with shredded/crushed waste from disused bulletproof vests and garments, fabric and yarn remains keeping the most closed properties as a first choice product.
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