Instruction:
Prof. Anna Dotan

This graduate project concerns the recycling of nonwoven fabrics. The recycling method used is taking fibers and assimilating them into a polymeric matrix from the same material family of fibers. This method is called self-reinforcement. Fibers are known for their ability to protect other materials, thanks to their form and direction; as such, they are a cheap and lightweight solution for protecting materials. The project’s main idea is maintaining the fibers’ basic form (not melting it) to maintain its mechanical properties. This technique is called cold recycling, in which the polymer never reaches melting temperature. During the recycling process itself, the nonwoven fabric (a moist towelette, for example) is taken, its fibers are separated in such a way that they are not damaged, and it is later inserted into the polymeric matrix of a similar family: the family of polyolefins.

Scholarship/funding: the CIRCLE consortium, Shalag