Feasibility study of using multi-layered plastic waste as carpet materials | |
| Author | Sinenart Jaruvarakul |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no.MPA-21-29 |
| Subject(s) | Plastics in packaging Packaging waste Plastic scrap--Environmental aspects |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Marine Plastics Abatement |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Multi-layered are composite materials that are ubiquitously used in packaging. Due to the incompatibility of the individual polymers, large amounts of the packaging waste, either post-consumer or post-industrial, are disposed of as non-recyclable material. In this study, a recently developed delamination process (Solvent-targeted Recovery and Precipitation, STRAP) was evaluated for its technical and economic feasibility based on the individual perspectives of the selected respondent groups, including manufacturers, customers, and policy makers. Questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection tools. The evaluation focuses on the upcycling of post-industrial multi-layer plastic waste into carpet material. Carpet manufacturers indicate that there is an opportunity to incorporate a recovered polymer from the delamination process into production as the investment is attractive and the expected benefits outweigh the costs. However, the carpet manufacturers would lack the recyclates, resulting in technical unviability of the recycled carpet. The technical concerns of recycling the multi-layered plastic waste were insecure of the waste, and the variety of multi-layered plastics, along with the high capital and logistic costs, they led to the unworthiness of the investment, impractical execution and finally the rejection of the STRAP process. The result could point out that the process of multi-layered plastic delamination on business scale requires shorter operation time to maintain the production rate. The delamination process could potentially be adopted by recyclers or manufacturers who own large scale of facilities to save the capital cost. Also, the result could be used to find the most effective solution for the multi-layered plastic waste by comparing it with other approaches. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Marine Plastic Abatement (MPA) |
| Chairperson(s) | Ekbordin Winijkul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Xue, Wenchao;Atitaya Panuvatvanich |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Research studies project report (M.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |