Vacuum Cleaner Filter Bag Composition Using Recycled Plastics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vacuum cleaner filter bags made from non-woven plastics face challenges in ecological sustainability and economic viability due to high costs and resource consumption, with existing biodegradable options not effectively addressing waste disposal issues.

Innovation Solution

Development of vacuum cleaner filter bags primarily composed of recycled plastics, with a proportion of recycled materials between 40% and 95%, utilizing non-woven fabrics formed from recycled plastics, bi-component fibers, and fibrous materials like cotton dust and wool, to create a multi-layer structure with enhanced mechanical strength and filtration performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If nonwoven filter bags made from thermoplastics are used to improve separation performance and mechanical strength, then filtration performance is improved, but costs increase and ecological sustainability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation performanceVSAvoidcosts
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material composition parameter by using recycled plastics (rPET, rPP) instead of virgin thermoplastics. This parameter change maintains the functional properties of nonwoven filter bags while reducing costs and improving ecological sustainability, directly resolving the contradiction between performance and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent recovers and reuses plastic materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste. By incorporating recycled plastics into the filter bag construction, it reduces raw material costs and improves ecological sustainability while maintaining the necessary filtration performance through multi-layer designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Reliability

If high-quality and heavy nonwovens are used to improve mechanical strength and filtration performance, then reliability is improved, but ecological sustainability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidecological sustainability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material source parameter from virgin plastics to recycled plastics. This substitution maintains or improves mechanical strength through optimized multi-layer constructions while significantly improving ecological sustainability by reducing resource consumption and waste.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite multi-layer structures combining different recycled plastic materials (rPET, rPP) and potentially biodegradable components. This composite approach allows optimization of mechanical strength for each layer's specific function while maintaining overall ecological sustainability through recycled content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Object-affected harmful factors

If biodegradable filter bags are used to improve ecological sustainability, then ecological properties are improved, but waste disposal effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveecological propertiesVSAvoidwaste disposal effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material composition parameter to use recycled plastics with controlled biodegradability. This approach maintains ecological sustainability through material recycling while ensuring the filter bags can be effectively disposed of via incineration, which is the primary disposal method for non-biodegradable suction materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If multiple layers are used in filter bags to achieve necessary mechanical strength and filtration capacity, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidfilter construction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses composite multi-layer structures where each layer is made from recycled plastics optimized for its specific function (support, filtration, capacity). While the multi-layer design increases structural complexity, the use of recycled materials reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for virgin material processing and quality control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The use of recycled plastics in vacuum cleaner filter bags offers improved ecological and economic advantages, meeting the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) while maintaining or exceeding the dust separation performance and service life of conventional filter bags.

Implementation Method 1

the capacitance layer is a non-woven fabric made of staple fibers produced by means of an aerodynamic process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAerodynamic process:

Implementation Method 2

the fine filter layer is a meltblown nonwoven fabric made from virgin PP, which is in particular electrostatically charged

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrostatic charge: Electrostatics

Implementation Method 3

the fine filter layer is a meltblown nonwoven fabric made from virgin PP

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMeltblown:

Data Source

PatentEP3429721A1Vacuum-cleaner filter bag made from recycled plastic
Publication Date: 2019.01.23 EUROLIFTERS HLDG NV

AI summary

The invention relates to a vacuum-cleaner filter bag comprising a wall made of an air permeable material and surrounding an inner chamber, and an inlet opening introduced into the wall. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag is characterized in that the air permeable material comprises at least one layer made from a non-woven fabric and/or a layer made from a fibrous nonwoven which comprises the fibres or is made from the fibres which are made from a recycled plastic or a plurality of recycled plastics.