Resource-efficient manufacturing process of composite materials: Fibrillation of recycled textiles and compounding with thermoplastic polymer

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a manufacturing process for recycled textile long fiber thermoplastics (RT-LFT) and thereby contribute to circular economy. Three different post-consumer textiles (cotton denim and plain weave, and silk plain weave) were cut into strips and fed directly into a co-rotating twin-screw extruder in which the textile was fibrillated and compounded with polypropylene (PP). The fibrillation of the textile, fiber dispersion, and interaction with the matrix polymer were studied, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated. For example, cotton denim composites containing 30 wt% fiber content resulted in 26% increase in yield strength and a 72% increase in modulus when compared with that of PP. The RT-LFT process is a straightforward method for transforming used textiles into composites like cups and bottoms, offering advantages such as reduced manufacturing costs, add value for waste material, and lower carbon emissions.