FLOOR OR WALL COVERING

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer composed of plastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride, and mineral fillers, in particular between 30 and 300 PCR of mineral fillers, notable in that the mineral fillers consist of at least 25%, and preferably 50 to 100%, of non-fossil bio-based mineral fillers.

Description

Title of the invention: FLOOR OR WALL COVERING Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of floor and wall coverings which may be in the form of a roll or in the form of a panel, a slab, a blade, or the like.

[0002] The invention relates to such a coating comprising at least one layer composed of plastic material and fillers, as well as its manufacturing method Prior art

[0003] It is known from the prior art of floor or wall coverings comprising at least one layer composed of plastic material, such as PVC, possibly plasticized, and mineral fillers, for example in an amount between 30 and 300 PCR (percent part resin).

[0004] Mineral filler allows the properties of the plastic material used to be modified. In the case of PVC, the commonly used mineral filler is, for example, calcium carbonate.

[0005] The addition of mineral fillers makes it possible to improve the resistance to expansion and puncture of a layer obtained from PVC. The layer obtained can also be stiffened depending on the filler content of the composition.

[0006] The fillers used in the manufacture of floor and wall coverings made of plastic material all come from extraction processes in quarries or mines. This operation involves a significant consumption of virgin and non-renewable material on a human time scale. The extraction of these fillers also causes significant nuisances in the direct environment of the extraction site, in particular large quantities of dust, noise, as well as a strong visual impact for many years following the exploitation of a site. On the other hand, the extraction and transport of these mineral fillers emits a significant quantity of CO2 which contributes heavily to the carbon footprint of the coverings using them.

[0007] Producers of floor and wall coverings are therefore looking for solutions to reduce the impact of their products on the environment, from the moment they are manufactured and throughout their lifespan. Statement of the invention

[0008] One of the aims of the invention is therefore to reduce the environmental impact of a floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer composed of a plastic material and mineral fillers, while maintaining satisfactory mechanical and usage properties. The invention aims in particular to reduce the extraction of material virgin and the CO2 impact related to the manufacture of the floor or wall covering.

[0009] For this purpose, a floor or wall covering has been developed comprising at least one layer composed of plastic material and mineral fillers, in particular in an amount of between 30 and 300 PCR.

[0010] The plastic material may be chosen from polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), cellulose derivatives, linoleum, elastomers, alone or as a mixture.

[0011] According to the invention, the mineral fillers consist of at least 25%, and preferably 50 to 100% of non-fossil bio-sourced mineral fillers, i.e. they do not come from calcium carbonate quarries, for example.

[0012] The charges used are therefore said to be renewable, over a time scale of around a hundred years, for example 150 years, and with a reduced environmental impact compared to that of the direct exploitation of calcium carbonate from quarries, which is exhaustible and said to be non-renewable over a time scale of around a hundred years.

[0013] The difference between a fossil and non-fossil bio-based mineral feedstock is determined by carbon-14 dating. For this, the percentage of bio-based carbon relative to the total amount of carbon is measured for a given mineral feedstock. This measurement is obtained by calculating the percentage of carbon-14 measured in a sample relative to a reference sample (NIST SRM 4990C) and allows for the definition of a percentage of modern carbon, referred to as non-fossil or biogenic bio-based carbon, and called "pMC". Of course, and as is known, carbon-14 present in atmospheric carbon dioxide at the time of measurement will not be taken into account.

[0014] The percentage of carbon from "non-fossil bio-based" sources, for example, plant or animal by-products, is thus differentiated from carbon from fossil sources dating back more than 40,000 years. Therefore, a completely bio-based mineral filler contains 100% modern carbon from non-fossil sources derived from plants or animal by-products; conversely, 0% bio-based carbon indicates that a material contains only carbon from fossil sources. An intermediate value represents a mixture of non-fossil and fossil sources.

[0015] According to the invention, the non-fossil biosourced mineral fillers contain at least 70%, preferably at least 85% and more preferably 100% of modern carbon (pMC).

[0016] Another method for measuring the bio-sourced mineral content of a sample can also be determined by the EN16785-1 standard of January 2016. In practice, it is preferable to use non-fossil bio-sourced loads from co-products, i.e. they are the result of another activity. The revalorization of by-products / waste from a “primary industry” (e.g. oyster farming) is This is obviously more environmentally friendly than direct quarrying of calcium carbonate. The non-fossil bio-based feedstock is recycled and regenerated naturally and rapidly (on a timescale of a hundred years, for example 150 years).

[0017] These may be, for example, non-fossil bio-sourced fillers comprising, preferably at least 90%, calcium carbonate powder, for example derived from mollusc shells, such as oysters, scallops, mussels, egg shells, snail shells, cuttlefish bones, lithotamnia, alone or as a mixture.

[0018] For shellfish, these are preferably dead shellfish sorted during the exploitation of oyster or mussel farms. For eggs, shells set aside by the breaking plants which separate the white from the yolks for many industrial applications. In both cases, these shells cannot be released into the environment without prior treatment (sanitization) under risk of causing bacterial contamination, which generates a cost of treatment, difficult to compensate for a simple release. Valorizing the shells as mineral fillers of a layer of floor or wall covering composed of plastic gives them value, while reducing the environmental impact of the floor covering.

[0019] It may also be non-fossil bio-sourced fillers comprising fly ash from biomass combustion, such as combustion of wood, cork, plant fibers, sludge from sewage treatment plants, corn cobs, miscanthus, alone or in a mixture.

[0020] In a known manner, the coating layer can be obtained by coating, calendering, extrusion or pressing.

[0021] It may be necessary to process the mineral fillers by crushing, grinding, possibly washing, micronizing, possibly drying, and sorting by size to obtain a particle size distribution suitable for the floor or wall coating application processes and the expected performance properties. The aim of these operations is to achieve particle sizes that can be incorporated into compositions and processes for producing floor and wall coatings from plastic material compositions.

[0022] In practice, it is preferable for non-fossil biosourced fillers to have a D98 particle size of less than 250 pm, or even less than 150 pm. (The D98 corresponds to the particle size for which 90% of the sample is below this dimension).

[0023] When it comes to producing the layer by coating, for example in the form of a gelled Plastisol, for example PVC, it is preferable that the fillers comprise less than 20% of particles with a size of less than 2 μm so as not to overdo it. increase the viscosity of the plastisol and facilitate its coating.

[0024] Similarly, in a layer obtained by coating, the layer preferably comprises a moisture-absorbing additive to dry the fillers so that they have a moisture content of less than 0.5%, and preferably less than 0.3%, and thus avoid the appearance of bubbles in the plastic layer.

[0025] The invention also relates to the method for manufacturing a floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer composed of plastic material and between 30 and 300 PCR of mineral fillers, remarkable in that it consists of using, as filler, non-fossil biosourced mineral fillers, representing at least 25%, and preferably from 50 to 100% of the quantity of mineral fillers.

[0026] The layer can be produced in any suitable manner, for example by calendering, by extrusion, by pressing, or by coating.

[0027] Preferably, the layer is produced by coating with a step of incorporating non-fossil biosourced fillers, the non-fossil biosourced fillers having a humidity level of less than 0.5%, preferably less than 0.3%.

[0028] To this end, the method comprises a step of drying, for example by a flow of hot air, the non-fossil biosourced fillers, prior to their incorporation into the layer.

[0029] Independently, or in combination with the drying step, the method may comprise a step of adding a moisture-absorbing additive to the composition of the layer to help obtain and / or maintain the moisture content of the non-fossil biosourced fillers below 0.5%, preferably below 0.3%. Detailed description of the invention

[0030] The invention therefore relates to a floor or wall covering, and its manufacturing method, which covering comprises at least one layer composed of at least one plastic material and at least one mineral filler, in particular in an amount of between 30 and 300 PCR.

[0031] According to the invention, and in order to reduce the environmental impact of said coating and its manufacturing process, the mineral filler of the layer consists of at least 25%, and preferably 50 to 100% of a non-fossil bio-sourced filler. The greater the quantity of non-fossil bio-sourced filler, the more the environmental impact is reduced.

[0032] Thus, the mineral charge used comes from a naturally generated and rapidly renewable resource, unlike fossil resources which are exhaustible and non-renewable on a time scale of around a hundred years.

[0033] Non-fossil bio-sourced fillers include, alone or in a mixture: - preferably at least 90% of calcium carbonate powder, in particular from of mollusc shells, such as oysters, scallops, mussels, egg shells, snail shells, cuttlefish bones, alone or in mixture; - fly ash from biomass combustion, such as combustion of wood, cork, plant fibers, sewage sludge, corn cobs, miscanthus, alone or in a mixture.

[0034] Depending on the conditioning of the charges received for their integration into the coating layer, it may be necessary to include steps of crushing, grinding, possibly washing, micronization, possibly drying, and sorting by size of the mineral charge. The purpose of these operations is to achieve particle sizes that can be integrated into compositions and processes for obtaining floor and wall coverings from plastic materials.

[0035] In practice, non-fossil biosourced fillers have a particle size (D98) of less than 250 pm, or even less than 150 pm, for example between 5 and 250 pm, preferably between 20 and 150 pm.

[0036] This makes it possible in particular to guarantee good integration into the layer, but also a viscosity adapted to the coating process, to facilitate dispersion in a given composition, to reduce the risks of sedimentation and / or segregation in compositions prepared in advance, in particular in liquid PVC plastisol compositions. On the other hand, the particle size of the recycled fillers has an impact on the mechanical properties of the floor coverings, in particular their rigidity, strength and breaking stress. A good particle size also makes it possible to avoid the formation of appearance defects, in particular in calendered or coated layers of thin thickness, for example between 0.1 and 2 mm or even between 0.1 and 1 mm. Finally, a good particle size makes it possible to optimize the performance of use, in particular the resistance to breakage of assembly means machined on the edges of coverings in tiles or strips.D98 corresponds to the particle size for which 90% of the sample is below the stated dimension.

[0037] The method may also comprise a step of separating the non-fossil bio-sourced mineral material from other unwanted materials in order to avoid their integration into the manufacturing process of the floor or wall covering, as they could represent a risk of degradation of the installations conventionally used to produce the floor or wall covering layer, such as pressing, calendering, extrusion or coating installations.

[0038] The process may also include a step of decontaminating the mineral fillers in order to prevent the incorporation of pollutants into the floor or wall covering manufacturing process. This step may, for example, include sorting by size and / or decantation.

[0039] When it comes to producing the coating layer by coating, the fillers com take less than 20% of particles with a size of less than 2 pm, and preferably the non-fossil bio-sourced fillers have a humidity level of less than 0.5%, preferably less than 0.3%, measured with a thermogravimetric balance or a Karl Fisher test measurement. In practice, the change in weight of a 5g sample is measured when it is heated to 120°C.

[0040] In order to obtain this humidity level, the method may comprise a step of drying the non-fossil biosourced fillers, for example by a flow of hot air, prior to their incorporation into the layer.

[0041] As an alternative and / or in addition, that is to say in order to obtain and / or maintain this humidity level, the layer comprises a humidity absorbing additive. The additive tested is for example that marketed under the registered trademark Byk® - 2616, marketed by the company Altana, in an amount of between 1 and 1.25% by mass of the total formula. Of course, other types of humidity absorbing additives can be used according to the general knowledge of the person skilled in the art, the essential thing is to obtain a humidity level of the non-fossil biosourced fillers at the time of their integration into the layer which is less than 0.5%, preferably less than 0.3%.

[0042] The non-fossil and revalued biosourced mineral fillers have a recycled character according to the definition of the ISO 14021:2016 standard.

[0043] This standard defines a recycled resource as a characteristic of a product that can be diverted from a usual waste stream through available processes and programs and can be collected, processed and reused as raw materials.

[0044] The layer of the coating according to the invention can be made of any suitable plastic material. For example, the plastic material is chosen from polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), cellulose derivatives, linoleum, elastomers, alone or as a mixture.

[0045] Preferably, the composite coating layer is obtained by coating, and is for example in the form of a gelled plastisol, in particular PVC.

[0046] The invention is indeed of more particular interest in the case of a process for obtaining a PVC layer comprising a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler by coating and then gelling a plastisol. Indeed, unlike calendering, pressing or extrusion processes, plastisol coating processes do not allow recycled coating shreds from installation waste or other sources to be incorporated directly into the plastisol. The plastisol is by definition not gelled upstream of the layer manufacturing process and has a viscosity that is difficult to obtain. easily compatible with a mixture containing granules or chips of already gelled plastic materials. In a plastisol, the introduction of recycled PVC or products obtained from recycled PVC, even micronized, considerably increases the viscosity of the plastisols, making their application by coating using a doctor blade in particular difficult. The invention therefore also relates to a composition for producing a plastisol from PVC comprising a non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler. The invention thus allows the production of layers and coatings obtained from coating processes whose environmental footprint is reduced.

[0047] Advantageously, the composition of the layer comprises a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler and also comprises a virgin mineral filler. This filler is for example chosen from clays, silica, kaolin, talc, chalk, lime, talc, calcium carbonate, alone or in combination.

[0048] Advantageously, the composition of said layer also comprises a vegetable and / or synthetic filler.

[0049] As mentioned, the coating layer according to the invention can also be obtained by a pressing, calendering or extrusion process through a flat die.

[0050] In the case of PVC, processes that can also be used are the pressing of granules made from a composition comprising PVC and a non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler and mixed hot and gelled or by coating PVC with plastisol.

[0051] The calendering, extrusion or pressing processes have the advantage of allowing the incorporation of crushed material from coating installation waste or crushed material from coatings deposited following their renewal. For this purpose, the waste or coatings are recovered, crushed and then integrated into granules or chips in the composition upstream of the calendering, pressing or extrusion processes. According to the invention, the composition of the layer comprising a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler advantageously also comprises crushed material or granules from floor or wall coverings, in particular PVC floor or wall coverings. Depending on the quantity of recycled material introduced, the environmental footprint of the layer obtained is reduced accordingly, in particular its impact in kilos of CO2 equivalent measured according to the ISO 14040, ISO14044 and EN15804 standards determining the Life Cycle Analysis of a product.

[0052] The floor or wall covering according to the invention may consist of a layer composed of plastic material and a non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler to form a homogeneous floor covering or several layers linked together to form a heterogeneous floor covering, at least one of the layers of which comprises a non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler.

[0053] According to a particular embodiment, the floor or wall covering according to the invention only comprises said layer composed of plastic material and non-fossil mineral filler so as to form a homogeneous floor covering.

[0054] According to a particular embodiment, said layer comprising a non-fossil mineral filler comprises a face bonded to at least one backing layer. In this way, a heterogeneous floor covering is obtained.

[0055] A comparative example of a floor covering in the form of a roll intended to be glued to the floor during installation is presented below.

[0056] The floor covering is a multi-layer covering composed successively and from the lower layer, intended to be in contact with the floor, to the upper layer, intended to be in contact with the user: a compact backing layer called smoothing compact (CL), a semi-finished product (CLCD) comprising a compact impregnation layer (CI), a glass veil and a printed compact decorative layer (CD). This decorative layer (CD) is then covered with an unfilled transparent wear layer (CU), itself varnished. The transparent wear layer is obtained by coating and gelling an unfilled plasticized PVC plastisol. The semi-finished product is obtained from the coating and gelling on each face of a glass veil of the compact impregnation layers (CI) and compact decorative layer (CD) from plasticized PVC plastisol comprising a mineral filler.The compact smoothing layer (CL) is obtained by coating and gelling a plasticized PVC plastisol comprising a mineral filler.

[0057] The transparent wear layer has a thickness of 0.65 mm, the decorative compact (CD) 0.2 mm, the impregnation compact (CI) 0.6 mm, and the smoothing compact (CL) 0.6 mm. The glass veil is embedded within the thickness of the semi-finished layer (CLCD). The varnish thickness is less than 1 Opm.

[0058] This floor covering is therefore obtained by a multi-layer coating process in several stages.

[0059] For this comparative example, the usage performances of a reference floor covering with a smoothing compact obtained by coating with formula A are compared with those of floor coverings according to the invention in which the smoothing compact comprises a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler derived from oyster shells with formula B1, and a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler derived from egg shells with formula B2. Formulas A, B1 and B2 of the smoothing compacts are summarized in Table 1.

[0060] [Tables 1] Formula A Formula B1 / B2 Parts Per Hundred parts of Resin (per) Percentage by mass Parts Per Hundred parts of Resin (per) Percentage by mass Plasticizers 60.8 21.87 60.8 21.87 Additives 2.3 0.81 2.3 0.81 PVC 100 35.96 100 35.96 Fossil mineral filler 115 41.36 57.5 20.68 Non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler 0 0 57.5 20.68 TOTAL FORMULA 278.1 100.0 278.1 100.0

[0061] For formulas A, B1 and B2, the following additives will be found: thermal stabilizers and co-stabilizers, pigment and process aids.

[0062] The performances of the coatings obtained with formulas A, B1 and B2 are summarized in Table 2.

[0063] [Tables2] Characteristics Units Floor covering including a smoothing compact according to Formula A - standard mineral filler Floor covering including a smoothing compact according to Formula B1 - oyster shell mineral filler Floor covering including a smoothing compact according to Formula B2 - egg shell mineral filler Rheology - Brookfield viscosity at t+2h Pa.s 13750 (26.5°C) 18500 (27.1°C) 17200 (28.1°C) Density g / cm3 1.52 1.47 1.47 Grain size (D98) pm 30 50 22 Moisture content filler % 0.2 0.25 0.28 Tear (NF EN ISO 24345 April 2012) daN 1.69 1.14 1.22 Elongation (NF EN ISO 1421 December 2017) % 180.6 112.2 139 Breaking load (NF EN ISO 1421 December 2017) N / mm2 6.1 4.5 4.9

[0064] Table 2 shows that the floor coverings according to the invention, formulas B1 and B2, have very good performance in use of a coated floor covering, compared to the reference floor of the same architecture, but produced with a smoothing complex containing a standard mineral filler, i.e. calcium carbonate obtained by the exploitation of a limestone quarry generating noise pollution and pollution. This table also shows a lightening of the floor covering demonstrated by the reduction in its density, while offering very good performance in use.

[0065] Viscosity was measured with a Brookfield type rotary viscometer with spindle No. 7, which measures viscosity by analyzing the torque required to rotate the spindle at a constant speed in an immersed liquid. The torque is proportional to the viscous drag on the spindle and therefore to the viscosity of the sample.

[0066] In comparison, the non-fossil bio-sourced fillers used in formulas B1 and B2 come from non-fossil and revalued natural waste, and therefore avoided intentionally detonating or further digging a cliff for the sole purpose of producing a fine filler. The revaluation of these by-products therefore avoided further irreversible exploitation of a natural resource that is non-renewable on the human timescale.

[0067] Another comparative example of the usage performances of a reference floor covering with an underlay obtained by calendering of formula A, are compared with those of floor coverings according to the invention in which the underlay comprises a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler derived from oyster shells of formula B1, and a non-fossil biosourced mineral filler derived from egg shells of formula B2. The formulas A, B1 and B2 of the underlays are summarized in Table 3.

[0068] [Tables3] Formula A Formula B1 / B2 Parts Per Hundred parts of Resin (per) Percentage by mass Parts Per Hundred parts of Resin (per) Percentage by mass Plasticizers 23 7.52 23 7.52 Additives 8 2.61 8 2.61 PVC 100 32.68 100 32.68 Mineral filler 1 fossil 110 35.95 0 0 Mineral filler 2 fossil 65 21.24 65 21.24 Non-fossil bio-sourced mineral filler 0 0 110 35.95 TOTAL FORMULA 306 100.0 306 100.0

[0069] For formulas A, B1 and B2, the following additives will be found: thermal stabilizers and co-stabilizers, pigment and process aids.

[0070] The performances of the coatings obtained with formulas A, B1 and B2 are summarized in Table 4.

[0071] [Tables4] Characteristics Units Floor covering including an underlay according to Formula A - standard mineral filler Floor covering including an underlay according to Formula B1 - oyster shell mineral filler Floor covering including an underlay according to Formula B2 - eggshell mineral filler Flexibility - max torsion torque at 23°C Nm 0.81 0.94 0.83 Density g / cm3 1.72 1.66 1.64 Grain size (D98) pm 30 50 22 Flexural modulus (NF EN ISO 178) MPa 2040 1908 1680 Dimensional stability (NF EN ISO 23999 August 2018) Longitudinal direction % -0.03 -0.03 -0.02 Cross direction % -0.05 -0.01 -0.03 Spontaneous curvature 6h at 80°C (NF EN ISO 23999 August 2018) Mm 0.19 0.11 0.14 Expansion between 12 and 38°C Long direction % 0.12 0.08 0.12 Cross direction % 0.13 0.14 0.15

[0072] The calendering process, nor even that of extrusion pressing, does not require a prior drying operation of the non-fossil biosourced mineral fillers, nor even the addition of a moisture-absorbing additive.

[0073] The above results show that the floor coverings according to the invention, formulas B1 and B2, exhibit very good performance in the use of a floor covering. This calendered flooring, compared to a reference floor of the same construction, but produced with a calendered sub-layer containing a standard mineral filler—namely, fossil calcium carbonate obtained from a limestone quarry—is also shown in this table. The table further illustrates the weight reduction of the flooring, demonstrated by its lower density, while still offering excellent performance in use.

[0074] The invention therefore allows a reduction in the carbon footprint of the coating and its production process, a reduction in visual and auditory pollution, dust emissions and degradation of fossil resources by using a resource of natural, biological and renewable origin, for example but not limited to intended for recycling or revaluation. By integrating these non-fossil biosourced mineral fillers, the environmental impact linked to the production of the floor covering is reduced.

Claims

Claims

1. Floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer composed of polyvinyl chloride, and mineral fillers, in particular between 30 and 300 PCR of mineral fillers, characterized in that the mineral fillers consist of at least 25%, and preferably 50 to 100% of non-fossil bio-sourced mineral fillers, the non-fossil bio-sourced mineral fillers containing at least 70% modern carbon (pMC).

2. Coating according to claim 1, characterized in that the non-fossil bio-sourced fillers comprise calcium carbonate powder.

3. Coating according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the non-fossil bio-sourced fillers comprise fly ash from biomass combustion, such as combustion of wood, cork, plant fibers, sludge from sewage treatment plants, corn cobs, miscanthus, alone or in a mixture.

4. Coating according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the non-fossil bio-sourced fillers have a D98 particle size of less than 250 pm, or even less than 150 pm.

5. Coating according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mineral fillers comprise less than 20% of particles with a size of less than 2 pm.

6. Coating according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the layer comprises an absorbent additive.

7. Method for manufacturing a floor or wall covering comprising at least one layer composed of polyvinyl chloride, and between 30 and 300 PCR of mineral fillers, characterized in that it consists of using, as mineral filler, non-fossil bio-sourced mineral fillers, representing at least 25%, and preferably from 50 to 100% of the quantity of mineral fillers, the non-fossil bio-sourced mineral fillers containing at least 70% modern carbon (pMC).

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the layer is produced by coating with a step of incorporating non-fossil bio-sourced fillers having a humidity level of less than 0.5%, preferably less than 0.3%.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a step of drying the non-fossil biosourced loads, prior to

10. their incorporation into the layer. Method according to one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a step of adding a moisture-absorbing additive to the layer.