US 5,535,945 A · Carpet recycling process and system

Abstract

Process and system for reclaiming polymeric fibers (e.g., nylon) from post-consumer carpeting includes shredding the post-consumer carpeting into strips, dismantling the carpet strips to form a mixture of the fibers to be reclaimed and the backing material to be discarded, and then separating a substantial portion of the fibers from the backing material. Preferably, the carpet strips are dismantled by impacting the strips of carpeting against an anvil structure with hammer elements using, e.g., a hammermill. A secondary reclamation system is provided whereby the separated backing material which may contain some fibers bound thereto is subjected to secondary dismantling and separation operations. The fractions obtained from the primary and secondary separation operations containing predominantly the polymeric fibers may thus be combined so as to form a process discharge stream which can be pelletized and/or baled as desired.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A process for reclaiming polymeric fibers from carpeting having polymeric fiber tufts bound to a backing material, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) shredding the carpeting into strips;
(b) impacting said carpeting strips against an anvil structure with hammer elements so as to dismantle substantially said carpeting strips and form a heterogeneous mixture loosely comprised of said polymeric fiber tufts and said backing material;
(c) granulating the heterogeneous mixture to form a particulate mixture of polymeric fiber particulates and backing material particulates;
and
(d) separating said polymeric fiber particulates from said backing material particulates.

2 more elements

A process for reclaiming nylon from carpeting having nylon fibers bound to non-nylon backing material, said process comprising the steps of:

(a) shredding the carpeting into strips;
(b) dismantling said carpeting strips in a primary dismantling operation to form a loose heterogeneous mixture comprised of nylon fibers and backing material;
(c) granulating said loose heterogeneous mixture to form a particulate mixture comprised of nylon fiber particulates and backing material particulates;
(d) introducing said particulate mixture to a primary air elutriator to separate said particulate mixture into a primary light fraction predominantly comprised of said nylon particulates and a primary heavies fraction predominantly comprised of said backing material particulates;
(e) transferring said primary light fraction to a primary screening operation to separate substantially any remaining backing material particulates contained therein from said nylon particulates and obtain a primary screening discharge stream comprised predominantly of said separated nylon particulates;
(f) subjecting said primary heavies fraction obtained in step (d) to a secondary dismantling operation to dismantle substantially any nylon fibers remaining bound to said backing material therein and form a secondary loose heterogeneous mixture of nylon and backing material particulates;
(g) introducing said secondary loose heterogenous mixture obtained according to step (f) to a secondary air elutriator to form a secondary light fraction predominantly comprised of said nylon particulates and a secondary heavies fraction predominantly comprised of said backing material particulates;
(h) transferring said secondary light fraction to a secondary screening operation to separate substantially any remaining backing material particulates contained therein from said nylon particulates and obtain a secondary screening discharge stream comprised predominantly of said separated nylon particulates;
and
(i) combining said primary and secondary screening discharge streams, whereby a substantial portion of nylon obtained from nylon fibers of said carpeting is reclaimed.

7 more elements

A system for reclaiming polymeric fibers from carpeting having polymeric fiber tufts bound to a backing material, comprising:

(a) a shredder for shredding the carpeting into strips;
(b) a hammermill having an anvil structure, a rotor, and a series of circumferentially spaced-apart elongate hammer bars fixed to said rotor, said hammer bars impacting said carpeting strips against said anvil structure upon rotation of said rotor so as to dismantle substantially said carpeting strips and form a heterogeneous mixture loosely comprised of said polymeric fiber tufts and said backing material;
(c) a granulator for receiving and granulating said heterogeneous mixture to form a particulate mixture of polymeric fiber particulates and backing material particulates;
and
(d) at least one separation operation for separating said polymeric fiber particulates from said backing material particulates.

2 more elements

A system for reclaiming nylon from carpeting having nylon fibers bound to non-nylon backing material, said system comprising:

(a) a shredder for shredding the post-consumer carpeting into strips;
(b) a primary dismantling system for dismantling said carpeting strips to form a loose heterogeneous mixture comprised of nylon fibers and backing material;
(c) a granulator for receiving and granulating said loose heterogeneous mixture from said primary dismantling system to form a particulate mixture comprised of nylon fiber particulates and backing material particulates;
(d) a primary air elutriator to separate said particulate mixture into a primary light fraction predominantly comprised of said nylon particulates and a primary heavies fraction predominantly comprised of said backing material particulates;
(e) a primary screening operation which receives said primary light fraction from said primary air elutriator to separate substantially any remaining backing material particulates contained therein from said nylon particulates and obtain a primary screening discharge stream comprised predominantly of said separated nylon particulates;
(f) a secondary dismantling system which receives said primary heavies fraction from said primary air elutriator for dismantling substantially any nylon fibers remaining bound to said backing material therein and form a secondary loose heterogeneous mixture of nylon and backing material particulates;
(g) a secondary air elutriator which receives said secondary loose heterogeneous mixture from said secondary dismantling system to form a secondary light fraction thereof predominantly comprised of said nylon particulates and a secondary heavies fraction thereof predominantly comprised of said backing material particulates;
(h) a secondary screening operation for receiving said secondary light fraction from said secondary air elutriator to separate substantially any remaining backing material particulates contained therein from said nylon particulates and obtain a secondary screening discharge stream comprised predominantly of said separated nylon particulates;
and
(i) discharge chutes for combining said primary and secondary screening discharge streams, whereby a substantial portion of nylon obtained from the nylon fibers of said post-consumer carpeting is reclaimed.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Carpet recycling process and system

Life of this patent

Carpet recycling process and system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25