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Manufacturing of fabric by recycling plastic bottles: An ecological approach

Part 2: Manufacturing Process

Article · March 2019

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Textile focus.com 23 March 2019
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manufacturing-process/

Manufacturing of fabric by recycling plastic bottles: An ecological

approach Part 2: Manufacturing Process

March 23, 2019

Shamsuzzaman Rasel1 & Joy Sarkar2

1. Lecturer, Department of Textile Engineering, World University of Bangladesh (WUB)

2. Assistant Professor, Department of Textile Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering &
Technology (KUET), Khulna-9203

Read 1st Part?

Manufacturing process of Recycled polyester yarn from bottle

Recycled polyester yarn manufacturing is very easy and economical which are encouraging
fabric manufacturers. Sorting and grading plastic bottles are chops and grinds into small bits
that melt and soften plastics passes through a number of tiny holes which results in thin
filaments. These filaments are using nowadays into both woven and knit industry to
manufacture fabric.

1. Collection of plastic bottles

As generally plastic bottles are just used and thrown away which needs to be taken under a
policy. By following Bring Schemes and/ or Deposit refunds schemes plastics bottle could
collect. By bring schemes known as kerbside collection results in low collection rates (overall
30 – 40% wastage) in the absence of public behavioural commitment. However, Deposit
refunds schemes impose a direct economic incentive to mass participation. Further “on the
go” or “office” collection may increase recycling rate.
According to the report by World Economic Forum over 165 million tons of plastics contains
in ocean where about 8.8 million tons of bottles are throwing as garbage per year. This
collection could use on recycling as well [1].

2. Sorting of plastic bottles according to grades

Sorting of plastic bottles [2] is very important. Most of the plastic bottles are marked with
number “1 to 8” inside of the triangular symbol along with PET below on it according to the
quality, grades, color etc. collected bottles are sorted and separated from other materials such
as PVC, HDPE, Polypropylene, drink cartoons, glass etc are taken to recycling centres known
as MRF ( Materials recovery facilities). Post-consumer PET is often sorted into different
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color fractions; transparent or uncoloured PET blue and green color PET and remainder into a
mixed colors fraction.
Sorting is done in both automatically and manually where automatic methods separate
plastics from glass, metals and paper. Here, clear PET and unpigmented HDPE milk bottles
also identified and separated out of collected lot. By using the Fourier-Transform near
infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and optical color recognition camera systems, materials can
be categorised and sorted out. Sorting performance can be maximized by using techniques
including X-ray detection.
After crushing post-consumer PET waste, it is converted into bales for companies and offers
high prices for colorless/light blue than darker blue and green fractions.

3. PET flakes production and washing

The sorted plastics are crushes, separate and dry by shredding the material into small
fragments that contains residues of the original content, shredded paper labels and plastic
caps. As a result pure PET fragments or PET flakes are produced. It is used as a raw material
for polyester fabric making. According to the report by Rosenberger, fabric made from
recycled polyester requires 80% less energy and 90% less water than virgin polyester that
made directly from oil. In washing plants flakes are washed. According to a report only 2-
3m3 water per ton of material is requisites to clean the flakes. However, “Dry cleaning”
technologies are using to clean the surfaces through frictions without using water.

4. Drying process of PET flakes

PET flakes are very sensitive to hydrolytic situation during melting results in adverse
mechanical properties; therefore it requires a very low moisture level prior to extrusion.
There are different drying processes of PET flakes are available after removing
contaminations such as dehumidifying and infrared drying [3]. Here moisture level is strictly
maintained based on parts per million (ppm) contains on flakes to minimize hydrolysis.
After drying flakes are passed through electrostatic separator thus it could become free from
metals from flakes. Then send to production sector to produce final product fibre.

5. Melt filtration and contaminants removal

Removal of contaminants from polymer melts is done during extrusion in melt filtration
process. A “screen changer” machine is used to separate contaminants mechanically from
melt where contaminants are stored on a stainless steel, called a “Breaker Plate”. A large hole
of steel drill allows the flow of polymer melt smoothly and heated, reheated and re-melted if
necessary further [4, 5]
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6. Re-melted of flakes to convert yarn

In this section, PET bottle flakes are re-melted and passed through spinnerets, leaving them
as filaments as like synthetic yarn produce from virgin raw material. A cooling system
automatically cool the filament recycled polyester yarn. The length of the yarn depends on
the requirements and is using to manufacturing fabric both in woven section and knit section.
Therefore, CVC, PC etc. yarn also could possible to produce by mixing cotton fibre, called
blending. By adding color during melting colored yarn is also possible to manufacture.

Dyeing, finishing, cutting, garment making process are same as if virgin polyester is used [2].

7. Quality of recycled yarn

The quality of finished product depends on the grades of plastic bottles used and processing
of raw material. Newer technology applications during manufacturing would be a great
innovation in recycled bottle.

Flow chart of fabric manufacturing by using plastic bottles

1. Shredding (left out of stored liquids into bottles)

2. Sorting and separating clear plastics

3. Treating with caustic soda to remove moving rivals from plastic which is harmful to

body

4. Passing through a screw channel where temp.is 2700C (mixer); a long filament strand

produce here

5. Mixed and blend of different types of strand passed through a heated chamber to

make a bond between fibre together to a continuous strand

6. Then taken to Aegis to produce materials (fibre) and baled and send to spinning

7. Carding started (all line and similar direction together)

8. Sliver form (spin on the bobbin)

9. Send to knit or woven mills to produce fabric

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Fig 1: A process flow chart of plastic bottle recycling to polyester yarn [6].

Comparative properties of Virgin and Recycled plastics

There is obvious a differences between recycled and virgin HDPE in the modification of
bitumen in case of the rutting and fatigue cracking behaviour. How much recycled polymer
needs to added to the resins to achieve the same level of the properties of the virgin would be
the best differences ever. Being on the added extra amount of the polymer defines the
economic viability of the recycled materials [7]. Other differences could determine as
follows-
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After discussing the properties of the virgin and recycled plastics it has become clear that
recycled materials would be useful comparatively with virgin materials of being achieving
the required properties.

The following information also signifies how we could save our existing energy after
recycling the plastic bottles.
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Global statistics of plastic bottle recycling

Day by day plastic bottle recycling amount increasing significantly due to sustainable issue
throughout the world. According to the report, 480 million pounds plastic bottles were
collected in 1990 where it increases to 2900 million pounds in 2016. [10]
Collected (million Pound)

Fig 5: Growth in postconsumer plastic bottle recycling collection [10]

Among them 5.9 million tons of flakes in 2009 3.4 million tons were used to fibre production
[11]. In Europe 1.6 million tons of PET bottles were collected where 51% of them were used
to produce flakes for fibre formation in 2011and they must need to mandate the Waste
Framework Directive by 2020 [12]. Approximately 81% of the PET bottles sold
in Switzerland were recycled on 2012.[13] Main reason was the consequently increasing of
fuel prices. According to the National Associatoin report, 31.2% PET were recycling where
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a total of 1,798 million pounds was collected and recycled 475 million pounds over a total of
5764 million pounds of PET bottles [14].

Challenges, opportunities and suggestions for industry

✓ A larger proportion of plastic waste stream can recycle if post-consumer collection is
set accurately.
✓ Product designs of the plastic makes from virgin materials must be potential that will
assist in recycling effort further.
✓ Implementations of wider policies to environmental designs could have larger impact
on recycling performance.
✓ Plastic shopping bag can only be recycled from a range of 21 to 40% effectively
✓ Most of the time material handling is difficult because of the rigid packaging
characteristics.
✓ The low weight to volume ratio of plastics collection and recycling is less economical.
✓ In sorting of plastic bottles must need high performance machines to separate to high
levels of purity.
✓ There is a possibility of making a contamination of plastics to produce a wide range
of quality of the products that is also consider as an environmental sustainable.
✓ The performance of recycling is also important.
✓ The goals should be to maximize both the volume and quality of recycled resins.
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Conclusion
It is assumed that there are approximately 165 million tons of plastics in the ocean which
could be more the weight of fisheries by 2050. As there requires only some extra arrangement
as regular process could be much more effective to the environment. Only mixing the
concept of plastic bottle melt filtration and fibre formation is required. By recycling we could
make a wide range of polyester fabric and at the same time we could make a safer world.

References
1. Hanaki: Urban Environmental Management and Technology, ISBN 9784431783978,
p. 104

2. Melt Filtration Options and Alternatives

3. infohouse.p2ric.org/ref/14/13543.pdf PET Drying Best Practices

4. Nicholas Dege: The Technology of bottled water, p. 431, John Wiley & Sons,
2011, ISBN 9781444393323

5. www.plasticstoday.com/articles/recycling-for-PET-packaging-reaches-31-percent-in-
2013-141008

6. Plasticstoday.com
7. www.trankpak.com/plastic-pallets
8. A. V. Shenoy, D. R. Saini and V. M. Nadkarni, Estimation of the melt rheology of
polymer waste from melt flow index, Polymer., Vol. 24, p. 722 (1983).
9. A. V. Shenoy and D. R. Saini, Thermoplastic Melt Rheology and Processing, Marcel
Dekker Inc., New York (1996).
10. www.sqs.org.uk
11. Nicholas Dege: The Technology of bottled water, p. 431, John Wiley & Sons,
2011, ISBN 9781444393323
12. www.bafu.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformation/00962/index.html?lang=fr&
msg-id=50084 (page visited on 4 November 2013).
13. www.plasticstoday.com/articles/recycling-for-PET-packaging-reaches-31-percent-in-
2013-141008

14. Japan streets ahead in global plastic recycling race Primary source is 『Plastic Waste
Management Institute, Tokyo http://www.pwmi.or.jp/ei/index.htm』

15. Guardian graphic, Euromonitor 2017

16. Arena U., Mastellone M., Perugini F. 2003Life cycle assessment of a plastic
packaging recycling system. Int. J. Life Cycle Assess. 8, 92–98
(doi:10.1007/BF02978432)
17. Arvanitoyannis I., Bosnea L. 2001Recycling of polymeric materials used for food
packaging: current status and perspectives. Food Rev. Int. 17, 291–346
(doi:10.1081/FRI-100104703)

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