Innovative recycling tech can recycle PET carpet usually sent to landfills

Verdex Technologies finds a way to recycle PET carpet and bottles.

A new innovative recycling tech may help to reduce the amount of carpet sent to landfills. The patented spinning nozzle technology developed by Richmond, Virginia-based Verdex Technologies can take recycled PET carpet and bottles and convert them into a wide range of nonwoven products.

Only 10% of the carpets sent to landfills every year are reused or recycled.

Verdex Technologies developed the innovative recycling tech as part of a joint effort with Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE). It allows the nonwovens industry and associated businesses to play a role in helping to solve the continual growing problem of ocean plastic and landfilling carpet.

Presently, most of the carpets that are sent to landfills each year remains as waste. Only about 10% are reused or recycled.

“Verdex recycling technology can help alleviate this major problem by taking post-consumer carpet & bottles, and turning these into high value nanofiber media for our customers to enhance existing products or create whole new product lines,” says Co-CEO at Verdex Technologies, Damien Deehan, reports Recycling Magazine.

The technology, which is capable of spinning recycling cleaned PET carpet containing calcium carbonate and polypropylene components, transforms PCC material directly into nano/micro fibers. Those fibers are blended with larger fibers to form products for apparel, filtration, and acoustic dampin.

The innovative recycling tech does not rely on solvents to work.

The company’s patented recycling technology uses a simple and safe process when spinning nanofibers. It uses no solvents and instead relies on only low pressure air. Due to this fact, it gives nonwoven manufacturers the ability to offer an array of functional enhancements to their products that contain nanofibers.

“We want to make a real impact in contributing to the circular economy. Verdex recycling technology offers its customers a unique opportunity to adopt a recycling element into their finished products, making it good for the environment, our customers and the end user,” Deehan added.

Presently, at its new facility in Atlanta, Georgia, Verdex is working on scaling its core nanofiber technology to a 1-meter commercial line. Verdex is also developing relationships with companies, industries and markets it believes can benefit from its innovative recycling tech.