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Alves DI, Carvalho Ó, Fernandes NA, Cosentino LT, Paula Junior AC, Fangueiro R, Ferreira DP. Upcycling of industrial footwear waste into nonwoven fibrous structures with thermal and acoustic insulation properties. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 363:121363. [PMID: 38850911 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
The footwear industry significantly impacts the environment, from raw material extraction to waste disposal. Transforming waste into new products is a viable option to mitigate the environmental consequences, reducing the reliance on virgin raw materials. This work aims to develop thermal and acoustic insulation materials using polyester waste from footwear industry. Two nonwoven and two compressed nonwoven structures, comprising 80% polyester waste and 20% commercial recycled polyester (matrix), were produced. The materials were created through needle-punching and compression molding techniques. The study included the production of sandwich and monolayer nonwoven structures, which were evaluated considering area weight, thickness, air permeability, mechanical properties, morphology using field emission scanning electron microscopy, and thermal and acoustic properties. The nonwoven samples presented high tensile strength (893 kPa and 629 kPa) and the highest strain (79.7% and 73.3%) and compressed nonwoven structures showed higher tensile strength (2700 kPa and 1291 kPa) but reduced strain (25.8% and 40.8%). Nonwoven samples showed thermal conductivity of 0.041 W/K.m and 0.037 W/K.m. Compressed nonwoven samples had higher values at 0.060 W/K.m and 0.070 W/K.m. While the sample with the highest conductivity exceeds typical insulation levels, other samples are suitable for thermal insulation. Nonwoven structures exhibited good absorption coefficients (0.640-0.644), suitable for acoustic insulation. Compressed nonwoven structures had lower values (0.291-0.536), unsuitable for this purpose. In summary, this study underscores the potential of 100% recycled polyester structures derived from footwear and textile industry waste, showcasing remarkable acoustic and thermal insulation properties ideal for the construction sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana I Alves
- Textile Science and Technology Centre (2C2T), Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Óscar Carvalho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Microelectromechanical Systems (CMEMS), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Atc Fernandes
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Microelectromechanical Systems (CMEMS), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Livia Tavares Cosentino
- ISISE, ARISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Adilson C Paula Junior
- ISISE, ARISE, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Raul Fangueiro
- Textile Science and Technology Centre (2C2T), Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Diana P Ferreira
- Textile Science and Technology Centre (2C2T), Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal.
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Felix CB, Ubando AT, Chen WH, Goodarzi V, Ashokkumar V. COVID-19 and industrial waste mitigation via thermochemical technologies towards a circular economy: A state-of-the-art review. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:127215. [PMID: 34844348 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The increasing awareness of waste circular economy has motivated valorization strategies for minimizing resource consumption and waste production in the private sector. With the rise of various industrial wastes and with the emergence of COVID-19 wastes, a sustainable approach is needed to mitigate the growing concern about wastes. Thermochemical treatment technologies in the form of direct combustion, torrefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification have been identified to have vital roles in the value-creation of various waste streams. Moreover, the alignment of thermochemical processes for waste mitigation concerning the circular economy framework needs to be established. Accordingly, a comprehensive review of the different thermochemical treatment options for industrial and the novel COVID-19 medical wastes streams is conducted in this study. This review focuses on highlighting the instrumental role of thermochemical conversion platforms in achieving a circular economy in the industrial sector. Various strategies in waste mitigation through various thermochemical processes such as management, recovery, reduction, and treatment are discussed. The results show that thermochemical technologies are beneficial in addressing the sustainability concerns on mitigating wastes from the industrial sector and wastes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. This also includes the current issues faced as well as future perspectives of the thermochemical conversion technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles B Felix
- Mechanical Engineering Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922 Manila, Philippines; Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922 Manila, Philippines
| | - Aristotle T Ubando
- Mechanical Engineering Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922 Manila, Philippines; Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Ave, 0922 Manila, Philippines; Thermomechanical Analysis Laboratory, De La Salle University-Manila, Laguna Campus, LTI Spine Road, Laguna Blvd, Biñan, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Wei-Hsin Chen
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; Research Center for Smart Sustainable Circular Economy, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan.
| | - Vahabodin Goodarzi
- Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 19945-546, Tehran, Iran
| | - Veeramuthu Ashokkumar
- Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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