Carpet textile waste in thermoplastic polymer composites: A systematic review

Recycling of carpet textile waste is one of the sustainable solutions for dealing with industrial and postconsumer waste, especially with the increasing demand for environmentally friendly alternatives in the fabrication of composite materials. About 90 million tons of solid waste are sent to of landfills in Egypt annually, and less than 12 % of them are recycled. One of the potential solid wastes that can be recycled is carpet. Most of the carpet constituents can be recycled and reused. However, only 4 % of carpet waste is recycled. This work investigates the current status of carpet waste management and worldwide, especially in Egypt. Since, carpet is made from various layers mostly synthetic polymer materials namely, face fiber, primary backing, latex adhesive, and secondary backing, they don’t degrade easily in landfills. Polymers like polyester, polypropylene, polyamide, and acrylic are usually used in the carpet industry. This paper reviews the different recycling techniques used in carpet textile waste management primary, secondary (extraction method), tertiary (chemical), quaternary (energy recovery), and composite approaches of carpet textile waste. The paper also focuses on various studies that have been carried out on the fabrication of carpet-based thermoplastic polymer composites using different manufacturing technologies. Finally, the mechanical properties of these composites are presented and compared.