Recycling methods for recycled materials

Abstract

To meet the social demand for environmental considerations, we provide an elastically deformable recycled material that allows for easy and effective removal of dirt, and a method for recycling recycled materials obtained from cushioning materials. [Solution] A recycling method for elastically deformable recycled materials comprises a grinding step of grinding the elastically deformable recycled material, a washing step of washing the pulverized material obtained in the grinding step, and a drying step of drying the washed material obtained in the washing step. A recycling method for recycled materials obtained from cushioning workpieces comprises a grinding step of grinding the recycled material obtained from cushioning workpieces, a washing step of washing the pulverized material obtained in the grinding step, and a drying step of drying the washed material obtained in the washing step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recycling method for recyclable materials capable of elastic deformation and recyclable materials obtained from cushioning workpieces.

Background Art

[0002] Polyurethane foam is known as an elastic deformable soft polyurethane foam containing open cells. Such polyurethane foam is widely used in various applications because its flexibility and elasticity can be adjusted according to the application. Specifically, examples of the use of the above urethane foam include, but are not limited to, mattresses, pillows, slippers, cushions, vehicle seats, vehicle console boxes, heat insulating materials, shock absorbers, etc.

[0003] Also, as described above, since polyurethane foam is widely used, a large amount of end materials of polyurethane foam are generated in the manufacturing process of polyurethane foam and the manufacturing process of products themselves equipped with polyurethane foam.

[0004] By the way, recently, social demands regarding environmental considerations have been increasing, and various proposals for resin recycling have been made accordingly. However, polyurethane foam is produced by reacting polyol and isocyanate to form urethane bonds and foaming, so it is difficult to melt and pelletize discarded polyurethane foam like other resins and use it again.

[0005] Also, regarding resin foams other than polyurethane foam, it is possible to recycle them by melting, pelletizing again, and then foaming. However, such a method requires complicated manufacturing equipment and technology, and there is a problem that recyclers cannot easily carry out recycling. Therefore, regarding resin foams other than polyurethane foam, a method that can be recycled more simply without requiring special equipment or technology has been demanded.

[0006] Patent Document 1 proposes a furniture recycling method that includes a dismantling step of taking apart furniture such as mattresses to obtain basic materials, a sorting step of separating the basic materials into multiple families of materials according to their properties, and a step of crushing the materials of different families. According to Patent Document 1, one of the families may include polyurethane foam. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2013-532537 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] There is concern that materials separated from discarded items may retain contaminants from their use. Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a step of disinfecting the elements to be processed before the dismantling step.

[0009] However, if the elements to be processed before the dismantling step, namely the discarded items themselves, such as mattresses, bed bases, and chairs, were subjected to disinfection by spraying disinfectant or microwave irradiation, there was a risk that even if the outer surface of the discarded items was disinfected, the internal dirt would not be sufficiently removed. In other words, in order to sufficiently remove the internal dirt of the discarded items through the aforementioned disinfection steps, it was sometimes necessary to carry out the disinfection steps for a long time. Furthermore, when disinfecting before demolition, the size, shape, and combination with other materials vary depending on the type of waste material. Therefore, under certain disinfection conditions, the level of disinfection may differ depending on the type of waste material. If the disinfection conditions are to be changed according to the type of waste material to prevent this, the implementation of the disinfection steps becomes complicated.

[0010] The problems described above in Conventional Technology 1 are not limited to foamed resin bodies, but also apply to elastic materials such as rubber and the recycling of used futons.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a method for recycling elastically deformable recycled materials and cushioning recycled materials obtained from processed products, which allows for easy and effective removal of dirt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention provides a method for recycling recycled materials, comprising: a grinding step of grinding an elastically deformable recycled material or a recycled material obtained from a cushioning product to be processed; a washing step of washing the pulverized material obtained in the grinding step; and a drying step of drying the washed material obtained in the washing step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the recycling method for recycled materials of the present invention, by crushing elastically deformable recycled material and then performing a washing step, it is possible to provide recycled material chips from which dirt has been easily and effectively removed. Furthermore, the present invention also achieves the same effect when recycled material obtained from cushioning materials is used as the recycled material. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The present invention provides a method for recycling recycled materials, comprising a grinding step of grinding an elastically deformable recycled material, a washing step of washing the pulverized material obtained in the grinding step, and a drying step of drying the washed material obtained in the washing step. In the following description, the method for recycling recycled materials of the present invention may be abbreviated as simply the recycling method of the present invention. In the present invention, "elastically deformable" means the property of deforming when an external force is applied and returning to its original shape when the external force is removed. For example, it is preferable that the object exhibits elastic deformation to the extent that its shape is not visually altered after repeating the action of inserting a finger 1 cm vertically from the outer surface of an object to apply an external force, and then removing the finger from the object 20 times.

[0016] The above-mentioned elastically deformable recycled materials refer to materials whose shape can be deformed by physical pressure and which can be restored to their original shape when the pressure is removed. Examples include foamed resins such as polyurethane foam and polyolefin resin foams such as polypropylene resin foam and polyethylene resin foam; and elastic polymers other than the foamed resins mentioned above, such as thermoplastic elastomers (so-called rubber) and thermosetting elastomers. The recycled material used in the crushing process in the present invention may consist solely of elastically deformable recycled material, or it may be a mixed material containing elastically deformable recycled material along with other components (for example, fabric or cotton).

[0017] Furthermore, the elastically deformable recycled material used in the crushing process may be any or a combination of materials obtained from the product to be processed, scraps generated at the manufacturing plant of the elastically deformable material, and scraps generated at the manufacturing plant of the product containing the elastically deformable material. Here, the product to be processed refers to waste or used products containing the above-mentioned recycled material. Examples of products to be processed include, but are not limited to, mattresses, pillows, slippers, cushions, vehicle seats, vehicle console boxes, insulation materials, shock absorbers, etc. In addition to the above-described steps, the recycling method of the present invention may be appropriately added with any other steps as needed.

[0018] According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, since the washing step is carried out after the grinding step, the object to be washed is a relatively small-diameter grinding product, and it is possible to perform sufficient washing compared to the prior art in which a sterilization step is carried out before grinding. Further, the grinding product containing moisture to be subjected to the drying step in the present invention has a smaller diameter than the waste product before grinding, and thus it is possible to sufficiently dry it in a short time. In addition, since the recycling method of the present invention uses a recyclable material capable of elastic deformation as the recyclable material, the washed grinding product (chip) provided by the recycling method of the present invention is suitable for products (such as mattresses, pillows, slippers, cushions, vehicle seats, vehicle console boxes, heat insulating materials, shock absorbers) that require elastic deformation. The details of the present invention will be described below. Regarding the present invention, an object obtained by grinding a recyclable material is referred to as a grinding product, an object obtained by washing and drying the grinding product is referred to as a chip, and a processed product obtained by solidifying or otherwise processing the chip may be referred to as a recycled product. Further, a process of manufacturing a recycled product, which is a processed product using the above chip, may be referred to as a reproduction process.

[0019] <First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the present invention will be described using an example in which a recyclable material capable of elastic deformation is an end material of a polyurethane foam generated in the manufacturing process of the polyurethane foam. In the manufacturing process of the polyurethane foam, end materials may be generated when trimming the ends of the manufactured polyurethane foam to adjust the shape or cutting it into a desired shape. Conventionally, such end materials of the polyurethane foam have generally been discarded, but according to the recycling method of the present invention, they can be recycled and effectively utilized as follows.

[0020] In the manufacturing process of polyurethane foam, the edge materials generated are recovered and supplied to the subsequent grinding process described below. Note that the recovered edge materials may be a mixture of edge materials of polyurethane foams with different compositions and physical properties, or an aggregate of edge materials of the same polyurethane foam with the same composition and physical properties.

[0021] [Grinding Process] In the present embodiment, the recycled material containing the polyurethane foam obtained from the above-described edge materials refers to the polyurethane foam itself. In the grinding process, the recycled material, which is the edge material of the above-described polyurethane foam, is ground. The grinding method is not particularly limited, but for example, a grinder equipped with grinding blades is preferably used.

[0022] The dimensions of the ground product of the polyurethane foam, which is the above-described recycled material, are not particularly limited and can be appropriately set to dimensions that are easy to use as recycled products (chips). From the perspective that it is easy to process the chips obtained by the recycling method of the present invention into a solidified recycled product such as a molded body (chip foam) with a predetermined shape, the average major diameter of the ground product obtained by the grinding process is preferably 3 mm or more and 50 mm or less, more preferably 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and even more preferably 8 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The average major diameter of the above-described ground product is obtained by randomly selecting 10 ground products from a large number of ground products obtained by the grinding process, actually measuring the major diameter portions of each selected ground product, and calculating the arithmetic mean of the obtained measured values.

[0023] For example, since a flexible polyurethane foam used in a cushion or the like has communicating pores in which the internal air bubbles communicate with each other, internal cleaning and drying can be carried out relatively easily and in a short time in the subsequent cleaning process and drying process. Therefore, the major diameter of the ground product containing the flexible urethane foam may be relatively large, for example, it may be adjusted within the range of 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

[0024] The grinding process in this invention may be carried out in one stage or in multiple stages. Furthermore, the grinding process may include a selection step to obtain a grinding material of a suitable size as appropriate. For example, in the first grinding step, a pre-ground material with a major diameter of about 20 mm is obtained using a grinding blade. Next, in the second grinding step, the pre-ground material is further ground into smaller pieces using a cutting blade to obtain pulverized material. Then, in the selection step, the pulverized material is passed through a screen (for example, a 10 mm diameter mesh) to selectively obtain pulverized material with a smaller diameter that passes through the screen. In the above selection step, the relatively large diameter pulverized material that did not pass through the screen may be ground again and passed through the screen, thereby adjusting the dimensions of the final pulverized material to be roughly the same. Of course, the selection step may be performed after the first grinding step without performing the second grinding step.

[0025] [Washing process] The washing process involves washing the pulverized material obtained in the grinding process, as described above. Generally, it is possible to wash the scraps generated during the manufacturing process before crushing them. However, in such cases, the scraps may be large or irregular in size, which can lead to uneven cleaning and make it difficult to remove internal dirt. In addition, the large size of the scraps before crushing means that drying after washing will also take longer. In contrast, the present invention cleans the pulverized material, which has been reduced in diameter through the crushing process, thus reducing the likelihood of uneven cleaning and effectively removing internal dirt. Furthermore, in the drying process described later, it is possible to dry the material thoroughly in a short time. Moreover, if the pulverized material has been reduced in diameter to a reasonable degree, it can be cleaned even without a large washing machine, making it preferable from an equipment standpoint.

[0026] The cleaning method in the above cleaning process is not particularly limited and may be mechanical or manual. In particular, the above cleaning process is preferably carried out using a rotary washing machine. A rotary washing machine is a device that fills a washing tub with water and laundry (crushed material), and rotates the inside of the washing tub with a motor to move the laundry (crushed material) and remove dirt. The recycled material in the present invention is a flexible material that can be elastically deformed, so it is suitable for cleaning using a rotary washing machine. Using a rotary washing machine effectively removes dirt from the crushed material, and the physical impact caused by rotation removes the angular ends of the crushed material that are cut during the crushing process. If the ends of the crushed material remain, they may detach due to physical contact or other factors when the material is processed into chips or recycled products, becoming waste. However, washing with a rotary washing machine removes such waste beforehand during the washing process, making it preferable to use the chips or recycled products comfortably.

[0027] The rotary washing machine described above may be a household washing machine or a commercial washing machine; for example, a commercial rotary automatic washing machine with a capacity of 12 kg, 20 kg, or 26 kg can be suitably used.

[0028] The washing process using a rotary washing machine may include the following steps: Step A, which involves putting the pulverized material into the water tank; Step B, which involves filling the water tank with water; Step C, which involves adding detergent; Step D, which involves washing by rotation; Step E, which involves rinsing; and Step F, which involves spinning. Steps A through C can be performed in any order. Steps D, E, and F may be performed in this sequence for one cycle, or for two or more cycles. The duration of one cycle is not particularly limited, but it is preferably set to around 10 to 40 minutes.

[0029] In step B, the temperature of the water poured into the tank is preferably, for example, 10°C to 40°C, more preferably 20°C to 35°C, and even more preferably 25°C to 30°C.

[0030] In the washing process, while multiple pulverized materials can be washed in a separated state, it is preferable that they be washed while contained in a mesh bag. This not only facilitates the recovery of the pulverized materials after the washing process, but also allows for further screening of the dimensionality of the pulverized materials based on the mesh size of the bag, and enables the removal of impurities mixed in the pulverized materials. These impurities include lint and fragments of polyurethane foam.

[0031] From the viewpoint of removing lint and other debris mixed in the crushed material, the mesh size of the mesh bag is preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 0.8 mm to 4 mm, and even more preferably 1 mm to 3 mm. The mesh size of the mesh bag referred to here is the length of the long side of each opening of the mesh bag.

[0032] In the washing process, the filling rate of the crushed material relative to the capacity of the mesh bag described above is preferably 50% or more, from the viewpoint that the leading edges of the crushed material will easily detach due to the crushed material bumping against each other inside the bag. On the other hand, from the viewpoint that washing will be thorough, it is preferable to have a filling rate of 70% or less. The method for determining the above filling rate is as follows. A waterproof resin bag of the same dimensions as the mesh bag is placed inside the mesh bag, and then water is filled into the waterproof resin bag. The maximum capacity Vm of the mesh bag is determined by measuring the volume of water when the bag is at its maximum expansion. Meanwhile, the total volume Vc of the crushed material to be filled is determined by summing the volumes of each crushed material when no load (external pressure) is applied. The filling rate (%) is then calculated using the following formula (1). Furthermore, the volume Vc of the crushed material filled into the mesh bag can also be calculated by first measuring the volume Vc' of the recycled material before crushing, then carrying out the crushing process, and determining the proportion of the crushed material filled into the mesh bag to the resulting crushed material (volume Vc'). [Formula 1] Filling rate (%)=Vc / Vm×100...(1)

[0033] The mesh bags used in the washing process may be used in multiple layers. This allows impurities contained in the crushed material and detached tips (hereinafter simply referred to as impurities, etc.) to be moved from the inside to the outside of the bag through the mesh of the inner mesh bag, the first mesh bag, and the second mesh bag, which is located relatively outside the first mesh bag, to capture the moved impurities, etc. As a result, the amount of impurities, etc. mixed in the crushed material subjected to washing can be reduced, the impurities, etc. cannot be dispersed into the washing tub, making it easier to clean the washing tub, and the collection and disposal of the impurities, etc. can be easily carried out. From this viewpoint, it is preferable that the mesh size of the first mesh bag is greater than or equal to the mesh size of the second mesh bag, and it is more preferable that the mesh size of the first mesh bag is greater than or equal to the mesh size of the second mesh bag.

[0034] The components of the mesh bag described above can be made from materials suitable for washing. However, when the crushed material contained in the mesh bag is washed, and then the drying process described later is carried out with the washed crushed material still inside, static electricity may be generated, resulting in poor handling after the drying process. From the viewpoint of preventing such a situation, it is preferable to use a mesh bag made of antistatic material.

[0035] Examples of antistatic materials include, but are not limited to, conductive fibers that have been given properties to prevent the generation of static electricity, such as cotton, linen, and other fibers that are not easily charged, as well as synthetic fibers. Examples of conductive fibers include synthetic fibers into which conductive materials such as carbon black or highly conductive metals are kneaded, or fibers whose surface is coated with a conductive material.

[0036] The detergent used in the washing process can be appropriately selected from general washing machine detergents or commercial detergents. In addition to detergents, any functional agents such as deodorizers and fragrances may also be used in the washing process.

[0037] [Drying process] After the washing process, a drying process is carried out. The material subjected to this drying process is the washed pulverized material, which has been reduced in diameter through the pulverization process and then washed. Therefore, it is easy to dry thoroughly to the interior in a short time. The drying method in the drying process can be any method that can dry the pulverized material that has been washed in the washing process described above. From the viewpoint of drying thoroughly in a short time, it is preferable to use a dryer. The dryer may be a household dryer or a commercial dryer, and the heat source of the dryer may be electric or gas. Among these, a commercial gas dryer with a capacity of about 10 kg to 15 kg is preferred. The dryer may be a single-stage type or a multi-stage type (for example, two stages). The drying process may also be carried out immediately following the washing process, using the drying function of the fully automatic washing machine that performs the washing process.

[0038] In the washing process, if the crushed material is washed while contained in a mesh bag, the crushed material contained in the mesh bag after the washing process may be used directly in the drying process, from the viewpoint of ease of installation and retrieval in the dryer.

[0039] The drying temperature and drying time in the drying process may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the amount and dimensions of the crushed material. The drying time is preferably between 60°C and 90°C, more preferably between 65°C and 85°C, and even more preferably between 70°C and 80°C. If the drying temperature is above 100°C, the pulverized polyurethane foam may deteriorate, making it difficult to reuse, and if the drying temperature is below 60°C, the drying time may become too long. When recycling materials other than polyurethane foam, it is advisable to set a temperature appropriate for the recycled material in question. The drying time is preferably 20 minutes to 60 minutes, more preferably 25 minutes to 50 minutes, and even more preferably 30 minutes to 40 minutes. If the drying time exceeds 60 minutes, the drying process becomes too long, while if the drying time is less than 20 minutes, uneven drying may occur, and it may be necessary to check whether it is completely dry or not.

[0040] From the perspective of shortening the drying process time, it is preferable to perform dewatering after washing in the washing process described above, and then carry out the drying process.

[0041] By carrying out the drying process as described above, chips made of polyurethane foam are obtained in this embodiment. The chips may be filled into a predetermined cover as a filler for cushions, mats, etc., or they may be hardened into a predetermined shape with an adhesive or the like and used for mats, sheet cores, slipper soles, etc. In this way, scraps that were conventionally discarded can be recycled hygienically and easily.

[0042] <Second Embodiment> In a second embodiment, the present invention is described using an example in which the elastically deformable recycled material is a flexible polyurethane foam, and the flexible polyurethane foam is obtained from a used mattress that is the product to be processed. The mattress comprises a core made of flat rectangular polyurethane foam and a fabric cover that covers the core, the cover having an opening for inserting and removing the core, and the opening can be opened and closed with a metal wire fastener.

[0043] [Recovery Process] In the recycling method of the present invention, in order to obtain an elastically deformable recycled material, a step of collecting used products as items to be processed may be carried out as appropriate. The collection process may be a single-product collection process that collects the same product, or a multi-product collection process that collects multiple types of products. Using processed materials collected through a single-product collection process is preferable because it makes it easier to uniformly adjust the physical properties of the resulting chips and to provide recycled products that exhibit similar physical properties, or processed products using them.

[0044] [Demolition process] In this invention, a dismantling step may be performed before the crushing step, as appropriate, to dismantle the product to be processed as described above. The dismantling step refers to the process of removing parts and components unsuitable for recycling from the product to be processed in order to obtain recycled material. For example, in this embodiment, the dismantling step may include removing metal wire fasteners from the collected used mattress. In this embodiment, the cover with the wire fastener removed and the polyurethane foam core material housed within the cover are used as recycled materials. That is, the recycled materials in this embodiment include the polyurethane foam and the cover. However, the present invention also includes an embodiment in which, in the dismantling process, the core material is removed from the cover equipped with the wire fastener, and only the core material is used as recycled material.

[0045] [Sterilization process before grinding] In this embodiment, a sterilization process (pre-crushing sterilization process) is performed to sterilize the recycled material obtained as described above before crushing. By performing the pre-crushing sterilization process, it is possible to maintain good working conditions for workers and the working environment in subsequent processes.

[0046] In this invention, sterilization refers to reducing the number of viable bacteria contaminating the object to be sterilized, and encompasses the concept of disinfection. For convenience, the term "bacteria" is used here, but in this invention, "bacteria" includes bacteria (microorganisms) and viruses. Sterilization methods are not particularly limited and include UV irradiation, microwave irradiation, and ozone treatment. Ozone treatment is a method of killing bacteria that contaminate an item by exposing it to ozone gas or ozonated water. While UV irradiation and microwave irradiation limit the sterilization area to the direction of irradiation, ozone treatment can sterilize in all directions, making it preferable as it can thoroughly sterilize the item. Sterilization with ozone gas is particularly preferable because it does not wet the item and the ozone gas decomposes into oxygen after the sterilization process, making post-processing easy.

[0047] Sterilization with ozone gas may be carried out by a placement step of placing the objects to be sterilized in a designated space and an ozone concentration increase step of increasing the ozone gas concentration in the designated space. The ozone gas concentration increase step may be carried out by introducing ozone gas from outside to inside the designated space, or by installing an ozone gas generator in the designated space and generating ozone gas inside the space. In this embodiment, the pre-crushing sterilization process is performed after the dismantling process, so the object to be sterilized is recycled material (a core material consisting of a cover from which the metal wire fasteners have been removed and polyurethane foam covering the cover). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the product to be processed (for example, a collected mattress) may be sterilized by first performing the pre-crushing sterilization process, and then the dismantling process may be performed to obtain recycled material.

[0048] [Grinding process] The crushing process in this embodiment is carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment, except that the recycled material consists of a cover from which the metal wire fasteners have been removed and a core material made of polyurethane foam covering the cover. Therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0049] [Washing process] The cleaning process in this embodiment is carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted here. In this embodiment, the crushed material includes not only the crushed polyurethane foam but also the crushed cover. Since lint is easily generated from the fabric cover, the benefits of using a mesh bag in the cleaning process can be fully realized.

[0050] [Drying process] The drying process in this embodiment is carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0051] [Sterilization process after grinding] In this embodiment, a post-grinding sterilization step is performed after the washing and drying steps. Since the object to be sterilized in the post-grinding sterilization step is a reduced-diameter pulverized material, it is easy to thoroughly sterilize the inside of each pulverized piece, and a chip with excellent hygiene can be obtained. The above post-grinding sterilization step can be performed in the same manner as the pre-grinding sterilization step described above, except that pulverized material is used as the object to be sterilized. Therefore, the details of the post-grinding sterilization step will be omitted as appropriate.

[0052] [Reproduction Process] As described above, the obtained chips may be used as components for any purpose, such as cushion filling, or shipped out. Alternatively, a reprocessing process may be carried out to process recycled products using chips in excellent sanitary condition. The remanufacturing process refers to the process of producing any desired product using the chips obtained through the recycling methods described above as materials. For example, the chips can be bonded together with adhesive or the like to produce core material for a specific item (such as a mattress or slippers), which can then be used or shipped.

[0053] As described above using the first and second embodiments, the present invention makes it possible to easily and effectively remove dirt from elastically deformable recycled materials such as polyurethane foam, and to promote the recycling of elastically deformable components such as polyurethane foam. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, one or more steps selected from the recovery step, dismantling step, pre-crushing sterilization step, post-crushing sterilization step, and reproduction step in the second embodiment may be added to the first embodiment as appropriate, and one or more of the recovery step, dismantling step, pre-crushing sterilization step, post-crushing sterilization step, and reproduction step may be omitted from the second embodiment as appropriate.

[0054] Although polyurethane foam has been described above as an example of an elastically deformable recyclable material, the present invention is not limited thereto. The recycling method of the present invention can be similarly carried out using polyurethane foam and foamed resins such as polyolefin-based resin foams such as polypropylene-based resin foams and polyethylene-based resin foams; and elastic polymers such as thermoplastic elastomers (so-called rubber) and thermosetting elastomers. In particular, with regard to foamed resins such as polyurethane foam, which is practically difficult to re-foam, and polyolefin-based resin foam, which are recycled through foaming processes requiring complex technology and equipment, the recycling method of the present invention, which uses a foamed resin that is easily recyclable and elastically deformable as the recycled material, is extremely useful.

[0055] <Third Embodiment> In this invention, recycled materials obtained from cushioning materials can also be used in the crushing process as recycled materials. In relation to the present invention, a cushioning workpiece refers to a waste product or used product containing the above-mentioned recycled material, which is a waste product or used product for which cushioning is required. Furthermore, the recycled material obtained from a cushioning workpiece may be the workpiece itself or a component extracted from the workpiece. Furthermore, cushioning materials include not only materials that exhibit elastic deformation, but also materials whose shape is deformed by physical pressure and which do not self-restore to their original shape after the pressure is removed (i.e., do not exhibit cushioning properties autonomously), but which can be restored to their original shape or a shape close to their original shape through maintenance, etc. More specifically, examples include futons and sheets in which aggregates of fibers or the like are housed in bags or cases.

[0056] A third embodiment of the present invention is carried out using a futon as the recycled material. The futon subjected to the crushing process may have cushioning properties, or it may be a futon that has been worn out and has autonomously lost its cushioning properties.

[0057] In the third embodiment, when an aggregate of fibers such as cotton is removed from the futon cover and subjected to a crushing process, the first embodiment may be referred to as appropriate. In the third embodiment, if rigid members (such as metal or resin fasteners) are removed from the duvet cover and the duvet cover is subjected to the crushing process with an aggregate of fibers such as cotton contained within it, the second embodiment may be referenced as appropriate.

[0058] The above embodiment encompasses the following technical concepts. (1) A crushing process for crushing elastically deformable recycled material, A washing step for washing the pulverized material obtained in the aforementioned grinding step, The system includes a drying step for drying the cleaned material obtained in the washing step. A recycling method for elastically deformable recycled materials. (2) The recycling method for the recyclable material described in (1) above, wherein the elastically deformable recyclable material is a resin foam. (3) The recycling method for recycled materials described in (1) or (2) above, wherein the washing step is carried out using a rotary washing machine. (4) A method for recycling recycled materials according to any one of the above items (1) to (3), wherein in the washing step, the crushed material is placed in a mesh bag. (5) A method for recycling the recycled material described in (4) above, wherein the mesh bag is made of an antistatic material. (6) A pre-grinding sterilization step for sterilizing the product to be processed or the recycled material obtained from the product to be processed before grinding, and / or A method for recycling recycled materials according to any one of the above items (1) to (5), comprising a post-grinding sterilization step for sterilizing the aforementioned pulverized material. (7) The method for recycling recycled materials according to (6) above, wherein the pre-grinding sterilization step and / or post-grinding sterilization step comprises a placement step of placing the material to be sterilized in a predetermined space and an ozone concentration increase step of increasing the ozone gas concentration in the predetermined space. (8) A crushing process for crushing recycled material obtained from cushioning materials, A washing step for washing the pulverized material obtained in the aforementioned grinding step, The system includes a drying step for drying the cleaned material obtained in the washing step. A method for recycling recycled materials obtained from cushioning materials.

Claims

1. A crushing process for crushing elastically deformable recycled material, A washing step for washing the pulverized material obtained in the aforementioned grinding step, The system includes a drying step for drying the cleaned material obtained in the washing step. A recycling method for elastically deformable recycled materials.

2. The method for recycling a recycled material according to claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable recycled material is a resin foam.

3. The method for recycling recycled materials according to claim 1, wherein the washing step is performed using a rotary washing machine.

4. The method for recycling recycled materials according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the crushed material is contained in a mesh bag during the washing step.

5. The method for recycling recycled materials according to claim 4, wherein the mesh bag is made of an antistatic member.

6. A pre-grinding sterilization step for sterilizing the product to be processed or the recycled material obtained from the product before grinding, and / or, A method for recycling recycled materials according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a post-grinding sterilization step for sterilizing the pulverized material.

7. The method for recycling recycled materials according to claim 6, wherein the pre-grinding sterilization step and / or the post-grinding sterilization step comprises a placement step of placing the material to be sterilized in a predetermined space and an ozone concentration increasing step of increasing the ozone gas concentration in the predetermined space.

8. A crushing process for crushing recycled materials obtained from cushioning materials, A washing step for washing the pulverized material obtained in the aforementioned grinding step, The system includes a drying step for drying the cleaned material obtained in the washing step. A method for recycling recycled materials obtained from cushioning materials.

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