Masterbatch of recycled textile fibers, composite material particles containing recycled textile fibers, and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers and a method for producing composite material particles containing recycled textile fibers.SOLUTION: A textile fiber raw material, a resin material, an interfacial compatibilizer and an additive are uniformly mixed at appropriate ratios and conditions to form a mixture. The mixture is then kneaded to form agglomerates of the mixture, and extrusion molding and pelletizing are subsequently performed on the agglomerates of the mixture to form a material for a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers. After blending the material of the recycled textile fiber masterbatch with virgin or recycled plastic pellets, an antioxidant and a processing aid at appropriate ratios and conditions to form a blend, the blend is subjected to kneading, strand-forming, and pelletizing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of materials manufacturing, in particular to using recovered waste textiles to produce masterbatches of recycled textile fibres or composite particles containing textile fibres, so that downstream industries can use these composite particles to further manufacture suitable processed products. [Background technology]

[0002] A large amount of old clothing is discarded every year around the world, and systems for its collection and disposal are in place. However, collected textiles, such as clothing, must be sorted into different materials (e.g., cotton, linen, polyester) before they can be further processed. For example, the fabrics must be ground into yarn, used to make soundproofing boards or carpets, blended with other fibers to create nonwoven fabrics, or used to make cleaning fabrics. Furthermore, sorting materials is known to be extremely time-consuming and restricts the variety of products that can be further processed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers and a method for producing the same, characterized in that recovered waste textiles can be crushed and granulated without the need for sorting, and then formed into a masterbatch material of textile fibers to be further processed into other products.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide a composite particle containing recycled textile fibers and a method for producing the same, which is characterized in that composite particles containing a high content of textile fibers are obtained by combining the above-mentioned textile fiber masterbatch materials with the selection and design of the blend of plastics or recycled plastics and through melt-kneading technology, and the composite particles can be directly processed and molded, or can be blended with recycled polyolefin polymers and then extruded to produce products such as eco-friendly laminates, or injection molded to produce products such as hangers and eyeglasses.

[0005] The present invention provides a method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers, comprising the steps of: crushing recovered textiles to obtain textile fiber raw materials; uniformly mixing the textile fiber raw materials with a resin material, an interfacial compatibilizer, and an auxiliary in a mixer to form a mixture, wherein the textile fiber raw materials account for 30 to 70 wt% by weight of the mixture; kneading the mixture in a kneader to form agglomerates of the mixture; and extruding and pelletizing the agglomerates of the mixture using a granulator and a die to form a masterbatch material of recycled textile fibers.

[0006] Preferably, the interfacial compatibilizer and the co-agent are present in the mixture in weight percentages of 2-10 wt % and 0.2-5.0 wt %, respectively.

[0007] Preferably, the textile fiber raw material, the resin material, the interfacial compatibilizer, and the auxiliary are uniformly mixed in the mixer at a rotation speed of 400 to 800 rpm for 3 to 5 minutes.

[0008] Preferably, the mixture is kneaded in the kneader under conditions of a screw temperature of 140 to 180° C., a rotation speed of 20 to 100 rpm, and a kneading time of 10 to 30 minutes.

[0009] Preferably, the interfacial compatibilizer is one of an epoxy resin, a maleic anhydride copolymer, a silane compound, or a combination thereof.

[0010] Preferably, the aid is a flow promoter, and the flow promoter comprises one or a combination of a processing oil and a plasticizer.

[0011] The present invention also provides a method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers, comprising the steps of: providing a masterbatch material for the recycled textile fibers; blending the masterbatch material with virgin or recycled plastic pellets, an antioxidant, and a processing aid, and drying the blend at 80°C for 3 to 4 hours; and kneading, stranding, and pelletizing the blend in a kneading extruder to obtain composite particles containing the recycled textile fibers, and drying the composite particles at 80°C for 3 to 6 hours. Preferably, the kneading, stranding, and pelletizing of the blend in the kneading extruder are carried out at a screw temperature of 130 to 200°C and a screw rotation speed of 100 to 300 rpm.

[0012] Preferably, the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material, the virgin or recycled plastic pellets, the antioxidant and the processing aid are present in the blend in weight percentages of 20-60 wt%, 40-79.4 wt%, 0.1-0.5 wt% and 0.5-10 wt%, respectively.

[0013] Preferably, the antioxidant is a hindered phenol, a thioester, or a phosphite antioxidant, or a combination thereof.

[0014] Preferably, the processing aid is one or a combination of a flow aid, a flame retardant, a UV absorber, an abrasion and scratch resistant agent.

[0015] The present invention also provides a recycled textile fiber masterbatch, which is obtained by forming discarded textile fibers into a pellet-shaped recycled textile fiber masterbatch using the above-mentioned recycled textile fiber masterbatch manufacturing method, and which contains the following components: 30 to 70 wt% of textile fiber raw material, 2 to 10 wt% of an interfacial compatibilizer, 0.2 to 5.0 wt% of an auxiliary agent, and the remaining weight percent of a resin material.

[0016] The present invention also provides composite particles containing recycled textile fibers, which are produced by converting discarded textile fibers into a pellet-shaped recycled textile fiber masterbatch, and then using the recycled textile fiber masterbatch to process and manufacture pellet-shaped composite particles containing recycled textile fibers, the composite particles comprising 20 to 60 wt% of the recycled textile fiber masterbatch components, 40 to 79.4 wt% of virgin or recycled plastic pellets in the composite particles, 0.1 to 0.5 wt% of an antioxidant in the composite particles, and 0.5 to 10 wt% of a processing aid in the composite particles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a data comparison table showing several examples and comparative examples of methods for making composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and examples. The drawings show only some embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but can be embodied in many different forms. The purpose of providing these examples is to provide a more complete and thorough understanding of the contents disclosed in the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without expending inventive efforts and labors are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is not intended to be limiting of the invention, but is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to the present invention; Step S1 of providing textile fiber raw material; Step S2 of forming a mixture containing textile fibers; a step S3 of forming agglomerates of the mixture containing textile fibers; and step S4 of forming a masterbatch material of recycled textile fibers.

[0021] Specifically, in step S1, the collected textiles are crushed into textile fiber raw materials. The collected textiles are general discarded clothing collected from old clothing recycling shops, etc., or any items containing textile fibers. The collected textiles are crushed into textile fiber raw materials by mechanical equipment such as shears and crushers, and are prepared for the execution of step S2.

[0022] In step S2, the textile fiber raw material, resin material, interfacial compatibilizer, and auxiliary are uniformly mixed in a mixer to form a mixture, preferably in a weight percentage of 30-70 wt% of the mixture, and in a weight percentage of 2-10 wt% of the interfacial compatibilizer and 0.2-5.0 wt% of the auxiliary. The textile fiber raw material, resin material, interfacial compatibilizer, and auxiliary placed in the mixer are preferably stirred at a rotation speed of 400-800 rpm for 3-5 minutes to obtain a uniform mixture. The interfacial compatibilizer may be an epoxy resin, a maleic anhydride copolymer, a silane compound, or a combination thereof. The auxiliary is a flow promoter, preferably a process oil, a plasticizer, or a combination thereof.

[0023] In step S3, the mixture containing the textile fibers is kneaded in a kneader to form agglomerates of the mixture. The kneader is preferably equipped with a screw for extruding and conveying the mixture, and the mixture is kneaded to form agglomerates of the mixture containing the textile fibers under conditions of a screw temperature of 140-180°C, a rotation speed of 20-100 rpm, and a kneading time of 10-30 minutes. Specifically, a screw temperature of 140-180°C allows the mixture to maintain a suitable hardness and softness, making it suitable for stirring and mixing. A screw rotation speed of 20-100 rpm and a kneading time of 10-30 minutes provide a desirable degree of mixing of the mixture.

[0024] In step S4, the mixture lumps are extruded and pelletized using a granulator and a die to form a recycled textile fiber masterbatch material. More specifically, the mixture lumps having a certain softness and hardness are extruded by a piston in the granulator, passed through a die with a specific hole diameter to produce continuous, elongated strip-like lumps, which are then cut at the die hole exit to form pellets of a specific length, i.e., the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material.

[0025] The recycled textile fiber masterbatch material can be used directly in the manufacture of products as a raw material for further processing, or can be further processed and manufactured into composite particles containing recycled textile fibers.

[0026] The recycled textile fiber masterbatch thus produced contains 30-70 wt% textile fiber raw material, 2-10 wt% interfacial compatibilizer, 0.2-5.0 wt% auxiliary agent, and the remaining weight percent resin material.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to the present invention; Step S5 of providing a masterbatch material of recycled textile fibers; Step S6 of forming a blend containing recycled textile fibers; and step S7 of forming composite particles containing recycled textile fibers.

[0028] Specifically, the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material provided in step S5 is the recycled textile fiber masterbatch produced in steps S1 to S4.

[0029] In step S6, the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material is preferably blended with virgin or recycled plastic pellets, an antioxidant, and a processing aid, and then dried in a dryer at 80°C for 3 to 4 hours to form a blend. The recycled textile fiber masterbatch material, the virgin or recycled plastic pellets, the antioxidant, and the processing aid preferably account for 20 to 60 wt%, 40 to 79.4 wt%, 0.1 to 0.5 wt%, and 0.5 to 10 wt%, respectively, of the blend. The antioxidant may be a hindered phenol, thioester, or phosphite antioxidant, or a combination thereof. The processing aid may be a flow aid, flame retardant, UV absorber, or abrasion / scratch resistance agent, or a combination thereof.

[0030] In step 7, the blend is preferably kneaded, stranded, and pelletized in a kneading extruder to obtain composite particles containing recycled textile fibers, and the composite particles are then dried in a dryer at a temperature of 80°C for 3 to 6 hours. The kneading extruder is preferably equipped with a screw for extruding and conveying the blend, and the blend is preferably kneaded, stranded, and pelletized at a screw temperature of 130 to 200°C and a rotation speed of 100 to 300 rpm. More specifically, the blend having a certain softness and hardness is extruded through the screw in the kneading machine and passed through a die with a specific hole diameter to produce a continuous, elongated strip-shaped blend, which is then cut at the die hole exit to form pellets of a specific length, i.e., composite particles containing recycled textile fibers.

[0031] The composite particles containing recycled textile fibers thus produced contain 20-60 wt% of the recycled textile fiber masterbatch components in the composite particles, 40-79.4 wt% of virgin or recycled plastic pellets in the composite particles, 0.1-0.5 wt% of an antioxidant in the composite particles, and 0.5-10 wt% of a processing aid in the composite particles.

[0032] Figure 3 is a data comparison table showing several examples and comparative examples of the method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to the present invention. The comparative examples do not contain an interfacial compatibilizer, which results in an excessive difference in polarity between the cotton fiber and PP (polypropylene) / PE (polyethylene), resulting in poor compatibility between the two. This causes the fiber to separate from the plastic during the granulation process, ultimately making granulation impossible. In contrast, in Examples 1 to 6 of the present invention, the addition of an interfacial compatibilizer forms a layer of a third material on the surface of the natural fiber, significantly improving the bonding strength between the two and further improving the granulation process.

[0033] The composite particles containing a high content of textile fibers according to the present invention can be blended with recycled polyolefin polymer materials and then extruded to produce products such as ecological laminates and carpets, or injection molded to produce products such as hangers, eyeglasses, and stationery, which are widely applicable, thus overcoming the problem of the large amount of labor required for sorting materials after the collection of discarded clothing, which limits the range of products that can be further expanded through subsequent processing.

[0034] The above-described examples merely illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are described in more detail, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make some modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] S1~S4 process S5~S7 process

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers, comprising: crushing the recovered textiles into textile fiber raw materials; uniformly mixing the textile fiber raw material with a resin material, an interfacial compatibilizer, and an auxiliary in a mixer to form a mixture, wherein the textile fiber raw material accounts for 30 to 70 wt % of the mixture; kneading the mixture in a kneader to form agglomerates of the mixture; and extruding and pelletizing the mixture agglomerates using a granulator and die to form a recycled textile fiber masterbatch material.

2. 2. The method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to claim 1, wherein the interfacial compatibilizer and the co-agent are present in the mixture in weight percentages of 2-10 wt % and 0.2-5.0 wt %, respectively.

3. 3. The method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to claim 2, wherein the textile fiber raw material, the resin material, the interfacial compatibilizer, and the auxiliary are uniformly mixed in the mixer at a rotation speed of 400 to 800 rpm for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. The method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to claim 3, wherein the mixture is kneaded in the kneader under conditions of a screw temperature of 140 to 180°C, a rotation speed of 20 to 100 rpm, and a kneading time of 10 to 30 minutes.

5. 3. The method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to claim 2, wherein the interfacial compatibilizer is one of an epoxy resin, a maleic anhydride copolymer, a silane compound, or a combination thereof.

6. 3. The method for producing a masterbatch of recycled textile fibers according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary agent is a flow promoter and includes one or a combination of a process oil and a plasticizer.

7. 1. A composite particle containing recycled textile fibers, comprising: Providing a recycled textile fiber masterbatch material according to any one of claims 1 to 6; blending the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material with virgin or recycled plastic pellets, antioxidants, and processing aids, and drying the blend at 80°C for 3-4 hours; a step of kneading, stranding, and pelletizing the blend in a kneading extruder to obtain composite particles containing the recycled textile fibers, and drying the composite particles at a temperature of 80°C for 3 to 6 hours.

8. The method for producing composite material particles containing recycled textile fibers according to claim 7, wherein the blend is kneaded, stranded, and pelletized in the kneading extruder under conditions of a screw temperature of 130 to 200°C and a rotation speed of 100 to 300 rpm.

9. 8. The method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to claim 7, wherein the recycled textile fiber masterbatch material, the virgin or recycled plastic pellets, the antioxidant, and the processing aid are present in the blend in weight percentages of 20-60 wt%, 40-79.4 wt%, 0.1-0.5 wt%, and 0.5-10 wt%, respectively.

10. The method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to claim 9, wherein the antioxidant is one of a hindered phenol, a thioester, or a phosphite antioxidant, or a combination thereof.

11. 10. The method for producing composite particles containing recycled textile fibers according to claim 9, wherein the processing aid is one of a flow aid, a flame retardant, a UV absorber, an abrasion and scratch resistant agent, or a combination thereof.

12. It is formed into pellets, a textile fiber raw material having 30 to 70 wt % of 2-10 wt % of an interfacial compatibilizer; 0.2 to 5.0 wt % of an auxiliary agent; and a resin material having a balance weight percent.

13. It is formed into pellets, 13. The recycled textile fiber masterbatch component of claim 12 having 20-60 wt % of the composite particles; Virgin or recycled plastic pellets having 40 to 79.4 wt% of the composite particles; an antioxidant having 0.1 to 0.5 wt % in the composite particles; and a processing aid having 0.5 to 10 wt % in said composite particles.

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