Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng. Vol. 1 No.4 67-71 (2015) 67 ISSN 2349 5359 Usha Syed & Sneha Parte International Journal of Advanced Science and Engineering www.mahendrapublications.com *Corresponding author. ushatxt@gmail.com Received : 20.01.2015 Accepted : 02.05.2015 Published on: 20.05.2015 Recycling of Non Woven Waste Usha Sayed*, Sneha Parte Department of Fibres and Textile Processing Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai-400019, India 1. INTRODUCTION Non woven is different from the traditional woven cloth. With the help of advancing technology, novel non woven fabrics have been developed and applied based on diverse requirements and innovative functions. New functional non woven composite has been constantly progressing , contributing to clothes, daily accessories, industrial appliance , computer, as well as filtration, heat preservation, and thermal insulation required by aeronautical industry [1- 2]. Non woven fabrics are composed of fibre net which is held jointly by fibres interactive attraction or by chemical adhesive [3]. Non woven fabrics are broadly defined as sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fibre or filaments (and by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibres or from molten plastic or plastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibres to yarn. Typically, a certain percentage of recycled fabrics and oil-based materials are used in non woven fabrics. The percentage of recycled fabric varies based upon the strength of material needed for the specific use. Conversely, some non woven fabrics can be recycled after use if proper treatment and facilities are been given. For this reason, some consider non wovens a more ecological fabric for certain applications especially, in fields and industries where disposable or single use products are important, such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes and luxury accommodations. Non woven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be of a limited life, single-use fabric or a very durable fabric. Non woven fabrics provide specific functions such as absorbency, liquid repellence, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability, cushioning, filtering, use as a bacterial barrier and sterility. These properties are often combined to create fabrics suited for specific jobs while achieving a good balance between product use-life and cost. They can mimic the appearance, texture and strength of a woven fabric and can be as bulky as the thickest paddings. In combination with other materials they provide a spectrum of products with diverse properties and are used alone or as components of apparel, home furnishings, health care, engineering, industrial and consumer goods. One commonly used method is to recycle these manufacturing wastes and post-consumer products. Recycling can be divided into two types: chemical recycling and physical recycling. The principle of chemical recycling is to convert high molecular weight polymers into low molecular weight substances via chemical reactions. The obtained substances can be used as the reactants for the preparations of other chemicals and polymers. Nowadays, the consumption of synthetic polymers has increased rapidly. This is because these materials have many advantageous properties over other materials including glass, metals, ceramics and woods. For example, they are lightweight, resistant to chemicals and environmental atmosphere [4-8]. In the case of physical recycling, manufacturing wastes and post-consumer products are reprocessed generally into new products using reclamation process or commingled plastics waste processing [9-10]. Due to its simpler, cheaper and more environmental friendly process, physical recycling is more favorable than chemical recycling. 2. MANUFACTURING PROCESS Non wovens are typically manufactured by putting small fibres together in the form of a sheet or web (similar to paper on a paper machine) and then binding them either mechanically (as in the case of felt by interlocking them with serrated needles such that the interfibre friction results in a stronger fabric) with an adhesive or thermally (by applying binder may be in the form of powder, paste, or polymer melt and melting the binder onto the web by increasing temperature). Staple non wovens are made in 4 steps. Fibres are first spun, cut to a few centimeters length and put into bales. The staple fibres are then blended "opened" in a multistep process, dispersed on a conveyor belt and spread in a uniform web by a wet laid, air laid, or carding/cross lapping process. Wet laid operations typically use 1/4" to 3/4" long fibres but sometimes longer if the fibre is stiff or thick. Air laid processing generally uses 0.5 to 4.0" fibres. In carding operations typically use ~1.5" long fibres. Rayon used to be a common fibre in non wovens now greatly ABSTRACT: In the past, there has been no simple technical solution for recycling non woven process waste, which consists of side trim and reject rolls. They have been sent to landfill or in the best case incinerated for energy recovery. The objective of this review is to recycle non woven fabric waste from different sources such as medical gown, napkins, tissue paper, diapers, sanitary wipes and other disposable products. Effective utilization and disposal of textile wastes requires an accurate prediction of solid waste generation. KEY WORDS: Non wovens, Emulsion Polymerization, Electro-spinning, recycling. © 2015 mahendrapublications.com, All rights reserved