Mechanically recycled textile fibers in carded and needle-punched non-wovens: Implications on processability, structure, and performance

To foster a circular economy, it is crucial to increase the recycling of solid waste significantly, particularly post-consumer textile waste, and identify viable applications for the reclaimed materials. This study specifically examined the integration of mechanically recycled post-consumer polyester and cotton fibers containing fractions into carded and needle-punched non-woven structures. The research investigated the carding processability of four mechanically recycled fibers, examining their performance when combined with virgin polyester fibers in varying ratios. The fiber fractions were characterized in terms of mean fiber length, short fiber content, fiber uniformity, diameter, fiber bundle strength, and elongation. The processability challenges encountered during the carding of the mechanically recycled textile fractions were mainly associated with high proportions of synthetic recycled fibers, which resulted in increased fiber piling on the metallic parts of the carding device. Furthermore, the effect of different blend ratios of mechanically recycled polyester and cotton fibers with virgin polyester fiber on the properties of carded and needle-punched structures, including mass per unit area, thickness, tensile strength, elongation, air permeability, morphology, and porosity was studied. The tensile properties and air permeability of non-wovens obtained from 50/50 blends of recycled polyester cotton and virgin polyester were comparable to those produced from 100% virgin polyester fibers. The results of this study demonstrate that carding and needle punching provide a robust route for processing polyester and cotton containing mechanically recycled end-of-life textile-based fractions without the use of chemical additives.