Carpet and techniques for making and recycling same

A recyclable carpet comprising a thermoplastic polyolefin tufted primary backing, said tufted primary backing having a primary backing and tufts of carpet fibers penetrating a bottom surface of the primary backing and protruding from a top surface of said primary backing;

• and a thermoplastic isotactic polyolefin polymer extruded sheet integrally fused to a bottom surface of the tufted primary backing at a temperature sufficiently high to melt both the tufted primary backing and extruded sheet such that a heat bond is formed between said extruded sheet and at least a portion of said tufted primary backing.

A rollable recyclable carpet comprising a tufted primary backing, said tufted primary backing having a primary backing and tufts of carpet fibers penetrating a bottom surface of said primary backing and protruding from a top surface of said primary backing and an extruded sheet integrally fused to a bottom surface of the tufted primary backing at a temperature at or above the melting temperature of the primary backing, wherein both said primary backing and said extruded sheet comprise an isotactic polypropylene polymer.

A recyclable carpet including at least a tufted primary backing, said tufted primary backing including a primary backing and tufts of carpet fibers penetrating a bottom surface of the primary backing and protruding from a top surface of the primary backing;

• a secondary backing;
• and an extruded sheet between and integrally fused to a bottom surface of said tufted primary backing and an upper surface of said secondary backing, said extruded sheet being integrally fused to said tufted primary backing at a temperature sufficiently high to melt each of the tufted primary backing, extruded sheet and secondary backing such that a heat bond is formed, wherein said primary backing, tufts, secondary backing and extruded sheet comprise an isotactic polypropylene polymer.

A rollable, recyclable carpet including at least a thermoplastic polyolefin polymer tufted primary backing, said tufted primary backing having a primary backing and tufts of thermoplastic polyolefin polymer carpet fibers penetrating a bottom surface of the primary backing and protruding from a top surface of the primary backing;

• and a thermoplastic isotactic polyolefin polymer extruded sheet integrally fused to a bottom surface of the tufted primary backing, said extruded sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 15 mils and being extruded onto and integrally fused with the tufted primary backing at a temperature at or above the melting temperature of the primary backing, tufts and extruded sheet such that a heat bond is formed.