PA Recycling

PA Recycling

(Polyamide)

 

PA, also known as Nylon, beholds a large group of polymers with various characteristics. The polymer is created through a condensationreaction of an acid-group with an amino-group. To be able to identify the different types of PA, the number of A-atoms of the monomers is put behind the name. Examples are PA 6, PA 6.6, PA 6.10, PA 11 and PA 12.

 

Uncoloured, PA is looking milkywhite, non-transparent. It can be easily coloured in about every colour. Polyamide has good mechanica characteristics, is though, does not wear ‘n tear easily and is very suitable for machinery parts. PA is restistant to gasoline, oil, fat, alcohol, weak bases and has excellent performance against aging. A big disadvantage of PA is its sensitivity for moisture.

 

A lot of PA 6 and PA 6.6 is used to produce carpets. As there is a lot of carpetwaste worldwide, a lot can be gained in recycling this material and extracting the PA. Various methods are being tested to see whether carpetrecycling can be a viable business. This is tried out by companies such as DuPont and Polyamid 2000.

 

The recycling process of polyamide is dependant on the shape and previous use of the original product. Usually items which carry the same colour will be kept together in order to make them more suitable for the end-product. White and light coloured material is most widely applicable as it can be coloured into any other colour. The scrap PA material is first shreddered into little pieces, after which it is washed in a washing tank. After this the cleaned materials are passed through an extrusion and pelletization process that produces pellets. These pellets can be directly used as raw material to produce new PA products. Often the recycled pellets are blended with virgin material for better material properties.

 

Heathland searches to recycle plastics, including PA, in ways that are best suitable for people and environment. Recycling happens in-house and at partner companies in Europe and/or Asia. Since the market for plastic recycling is very international, often it is difficult to keep track of how and where scrap plastics are recycled. Heathland works with partners who are qualified, have sufficient certification, and have set quality standards for the circumstances in which plastic materials are processed. This way, the company can keep as much control as possible on the circumstances in which it’s plastics are recycled. If you are interested in this way of recycling, whether your company is a collector, manufacturer, servicer or end-user, please contact us for possibilities.