Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
  • D04H1/4274—Rags; Fabric scraps
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
  • D04H1/4266—Natural fibres not provided for in group D04H1/425
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
  • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
  • D04H1/48—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres in combination with at least one other method of consolidation
  • D04H1/49—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres in combination with at least one other method of consolidation entanglement by fluid jet in combination with another consolidation means
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
  • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
  • D04H1/492—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres by fluid jet
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
  • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
  • D04H1/498—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres entanglement of layered webs
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
  • D04H1/54—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties by welding together the fibres, e.g. by partially melting or dissolving
  • D04H1/541—Composite fibres, e.g. sheath-core, sea-island or side-by-side; Mixed fibres
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
  • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
  • D04H1/72—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged
  • D04H1/732—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being randomly arranged by fluid current, e.g. air-lay

Definitions

• Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of forming composite sheet material from material waste.
• Textiles are materials formed from interlacing fibres, and can be used in textile products such as clothes or upholstery. Most textile products such as clothes are formed from virgin textile fibres, which are suitable for textiles, but have not previously been used in textile products.
• Textile waste is a significant environmental and economic problem, due to the difficulty of recycling this waste.
• the majority of textile waste is not recycled. Instead, the textile waste is often disposed of via landfill or incineration.
• the recycling of textile waste is currently an expensive process, which firstly involves the transportation of waste to a specialised facility.
• the waste is sorted, the different types of fibres are separated, and then any contaminants such as polyurethane are removed.
• the separation of the fibre types and removal of contaminants are particularly resource intensive processes, which can also damage the textile fibres, leading to inferior textile products.
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from non-leather textile waste comprising textile fibres
• the method comprises: mechanically processing the non-leather textile waste, wherein the mechanical processing comprises filtering the non-leather textile waste and breaking down the non-leather textile waste into individual textile fibres, such that a majority of the individual textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm; forming the mechanically processed textile fibres into a web; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the textile fibres of the web to entangle with each other and causes a mechanical bond to form between
• the textile waste includes more than one type of textile fibre.
• the textile waste may comprise at least one of: wool, cotton, viscose, flax, soybean, bamboo, silk, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyamide, elastane, acrylic, bast or modal fibres.
• the textile waste may comprise at least two of: wool, cotton, viscose, flax, soybean, bamboo, silk, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyamide, elastane, acrylic, bast or modal fibres.
• the textile waste may comprise at least three of: wool, cotton, viscose, flax, soybean, bamboo, silk, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyamide, elastane, acrylic, bast or modal fibres.
• the textile waste may comprise cellulosic textile fibres, such as bast, flax, viscose or cotton.
• the textile waste may comprise synthetic textile fibres.
• the majority of the mechanically processed textile fibres may have a length in the range of 3 - 5 mm.
• the reinforcing material may comprise a fabric. Possibly, the reinforcing material comprises a recycled fabric. Possibly, the reinforcing material comprises a woven fabric.
• the method further comprises blending the mechanically processed textile fibres of the textile waste with additive fibres prior to the formation of the web.
• the additive fibres may comprise bicomponent fibres.
• the web may comprise predominantly the mechanically processed textile fibres of the textile waste.
• the web may comprise at least 90 wt.% of the mechanically processed textile fibres of the textile waste.
• the web may comprise 1 - 10 wt.% of the additive fibres.
• the web may comprise 2 - 5 wt.% of the additive fibres.
• the web may comprise 2 - 4 wt.% of the additive fibres.
• the mechanical processing of the non-leather textile waste may comprise milling pieces of the non-leather textile waste to disassemble the pieces into individual textile fibres.
• Filtering the non-leather textile waste may comprise filtering the non-leather textile waste prior to milling pieces of the non-leather textile waste.
• the non-leather textile waste may be filtered to provide pieces of non-leather textile waste for milling that, when milled, are dissembled into individual textile fibres, where a majority of the individual textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm.
• the filtering may comprise removing oversized pieces of non-leather textile waste prior to conveying the filtered pieces to a milling machine that mills the pieces to disassemble the pieces into individual textile fibres.
• the filtering may comprise removing undersized pieces of non-leather textile waste prior to milling.
• the method may comprise rejecting the undersized pieces of non-leather textile waste.
• the mechanical processing of the non-leather textile waste may comprise the steps of: shredding the non-leather textile waste to provide shreds of textile waste material; cutting the shreds of non-leather textile waste within a granulator to provide pieces of reduced size suitable for milling; and milling the pieces to disassemble the pieces into individual textile fibres.
• Filtering the non-leather textile waste may comprise, after cutting the shreds of non-leather textile waste within the granulator to pieces of reduced size, filtering the pieces of reduced size prior to milling.
• the non-leather textile waste may be filtered to provide pieces of non-leather textile waste for milling that, when milled, are dissembled into individual textile fibres, where a majority of the individual textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm.
• the filtering may comprise removing oversized pieces of non-leather textile waste prior to providing the filtered pieces to a milling machine that mills the pieces to disassemble the pieces into individual textile fibres.
• the removed oversized pieces of non-leather textile waste may be conveyed to back to the granulator for further cutting.
• the filtering may comprise removing undersized pieces of non-leather textile waste prior to milling.
• the method may further comprise rejecting the undersize pieces of non-leather textile waste prior to milling.
• the filtering may be performed using at least one vibrating screen.
• Filtering the non-leather textile waste may comprise filtering the individual textile fibres to remove undersized individual textile fibres.
• the forming the mechanically processed textile fibres into a web comprises airlaying the fibres onto a support.
• the web may have a higher weight per unit area than the reinforcing material.
• the arrangement may comprise a further web on the opposite side of the reinforcing material to the web, the further web defining a third layer of the arrangement.
• the weight per unit area of the further web may be different to the weight per unit area of the web.
• the method is substantially without chemical treatment of the textile waste. Possibly, the method is without chemical treatment of the textile waste.
• the method further comprises applying a coating to the composite sheet material.
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from pieces of non-leather textile waste comprises: filtering pieces of non-leather textile waste to remove oversized pieces; breaking down the filtered pieces of non-leather textile waste into individual textile fibres; filtering the individual textile fibres, such that a majority of the filtered individual textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm; forming the filtered individual textile fibres derived from textile waste into a web, wherein the textile fibres comprise individual textile fibres; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the textile fibres of the web to entangle with each other and causes
• the individual textile fibres may be formed by mechanically processing the textile waste to break down the textile waste.
• a composite sheet material comprising: a body of fibres including fibres interlocked with each other by entanglement, wherein the body of fibres comprises textile fibres derived from textile waste; and a reinforcing material, wherein at least some of the fibres of the body of fibres are mechanically bonded to the reinforcing material, wherein the body of fibres defines a first layer of the composite sheet material and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the composite sheet material.
• the body of fibres may comprise predominantly textile fibres derived from textile waste.
• the body of fibres may comprise at least 90 wt.% textile fibres derived from textile waste.
• the body of fibres may comprise 1 - 10 wt.% of additive fibres.
• the additive fibres may comprise bicomponent fibres.
• the length of the majority of the textile fibres may be 1 - 10 mm.
• the length of the majority of the textile fibres may be 3 - 5 mm.
• the composite sheet material is substantially without any adhesive bonding of the fibres. Possibly, the composite sheet material does not comprise adhesive bonding of the fibres.
• the reinforcing material may comprise a recycled fabric.
• the reinforcing material may comprise a woven fabric.
• the sheet material is substantially without any adhesive bonding of the fibres. Possibly, the sheet material does not comprise adhesive bonding of the fibres.
• clothing, footwear, accessories or upholstery comprising a composite sheet material according to any of the preceding paragraphs.
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from textile waste comprising textile fibres
• the method comprises: mechanically processing the textile waste, wherein the mechanical processing causes the textile waste to break down into individual textile fibres; forming the mechanically processed textile fibres into a web; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the textile fibres of the web to entangle with each other and causes a mechanical bond to form between the textile fibres of the web and the reinforcing material.
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from non-leather textile waste comprising textile fibres
• the method comprises: mechanically processing the non-leather textile waste, wherein the mechanical processing comprises the steps of: shredding the non-leather textile waste to provide shreds of textile waste; cutting the shreds of textile waste within a granulator to provide pieces of reduced size suitable for milling; and milling the pieces to disassemble the pieces causes the textile waste to break down into individual textile fibres; forming the individual textile fibres into a web; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the textile fibres of
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from material waste comprises: mechanically processing the material waste into material fibres, wherein the mechanical processing comprises filtering the material waste and breaking down the material waste into individual material fibres or bundles of fibres, such that a majority of the material fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm; forming the filtered material fibres into a web; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the material fibres of the web to entangle with each other and causes a mechanical bond to form between the material fibres of the web and the reinforcing material.
• the mechanical processing of the material waste may comprise the steps of: shredding the material waste to provide shreds of material waste; cutting the shreds of material waste within a granulator to provide pieces of reduced size suitable for milling; and milling the pieces to disassemble the pieces into individual material fibres or bundles of fibres.
• the material waste may be filtered to provide pieces of material waste for milling that, when milled, are dissembled into individual material fibres or bundles of fibres, where a majority of the material fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm.
• a method of forming a composite sheet material from pieces of material waste comprises: filtering pieces of material waste to remove oversized pieces; breaking down the filtered pieces of material waste into individual material fibres or bundles of fibres; filtering the individual material fibres or the bundles of fibres, such that a majority of the material fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm; forming the filtered individual material fibres or the bundles of fibres into a web; locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, wherein the web defines a first layer of the arrangement and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement; and subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus to provide the composite sheet material, wherein subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the material fibres of the web to entangle with each other and causes a mechanical bond to form between the material fibres of the web and
• Textile waste includes post-agricultural textile waste (also known as pre-industrial textile waste), industrial textile waste, post-industrial textile waste, pre-consumer textile waste, and/or post-consumer textile waste.
• the textile waste described herein may comprise one or more than one of these waste material components.
• Industrial textile waste is produced during textile processing, such as during the cleaning, carding, combing and/or spinning of fibres.
• the waste fibres produced during these processes are too short for use in traditional textile manufacturing methods, and are therefore deemed as industrial textile waste by the textile industry.
• Post-industrial textile waste includes material in which the textile fibres have been intertwined or interlocked, but the material is in a form that is unsuitable for use in traditional textile manufacturing methods. For example, the dimensions of the material may be too small for use in the textile industry.
• Post-industrial textile waste includes cuttings or trim waste from roll or sheet processing.
• Pre-consumer textile waste includes any textile product that has been produced, but is no longer commercially/economically viable.
• fabrics, garments or apparel that have passed their design season in many cases are no longer commercially viable.
• Post-consumer textile waste includes textile products that have been used and discarded. For instance, worn clothes, carpets or upholstery that have been disposed of by a user.
• Textile waste can thus include waste loose textile fibres, waste woven fabrics, waste knitted fabrics, and/or waste non-woven fabrics.
• Textile waste in many, but not all, examples includes more than one type of textile fibre.
• the textile waste is mixed or non-homogeneous.
• the textile waste includes more than two types of textile fibres.
• the textile waste can include several types of textile fibres in varying ratios.
• a different type of textile fibre is a fibre made from a different material.
• Example types of textile fibres include wool, cotton, viscose, flax, soybean, bamboo, silk, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyamide, elastane, acrylic, bast or modal fibres.
• the textile waste may include one or more, two or more, or three or more of these types of textile fibres.
• the textile waste includes both i) synthetic fibres and ii) natural or naturally derived fibres.
• the textile waste may include 10 - 90 wt.% natural or naturally derived fibres and 10 - 90 wt.% synthetic fibres, such as 70 wt.% synthetic fibres and 30 wt.% natural or naturally derived fibres.
• the textile waste may include 50-98 wt.% cotton fibres and 2-50 wt.% synthetic fibres (e.g., polyester and/or elastane).
• Fig. 1A illustrates a flow chart of a method 100 of forming a composite sheet material from (non-leather) textile waste.
• Fig. 1B illustrates a schematic of a system 200 for performing the aspects of the method of Fig. 1A that are illustrated in block 110.
• the system 200 receives, as its input, (non-leather) textile waste 20.
• the incoming textile waste 20 may be substantially dry (for example, having a moisture content of 0 - 16 wt %).
• the system 200 may comprise a shredder 210, a granulator 220, a first vibrating screen 230, a milling machine 240, a vacuum generator 250, a second vibrating screen 260, a dust filter 270 and a fibre storage receptacles/silos 280.
• the elements 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 and 280 may be pneumatically connected in that pressurized air and/or generated (partial) vacuums may be used to convey textile waste and/or individual/discrete textile fibres from one element to another element 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 and 280.
• any number of intervening elements can exist between the elements 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 and 280, including no intervening elements.
• the system 200 need not comprise all of the illustrated elements 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 and 280 and might, in some embodiments, only comprise some of the illustrated elements 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270 and 280.
• the method 100 of forming a composite sheet material from textile waste 20 comprises the step 110 of mechanically processing the textile waste.
• the mechanical processing of the textile waste 20 causes the textile waste to break down into individual textile fibres.
• the individual textile fibres could also be referred to as discrete textile fibres.
• An individual or discrete fibre is not interlocked or intertwined with other fibres.
• the majority of the textile fibres within the textile waste may be converted into individual textile fibres by the mechanical processing.
• substantially all of the textile fibres are converted to into individual textile fibres by the mechanical processing.
• the mechanical processing of the textile waste could also be referred to as fibrising.
• the textile waste could include any of the textile waste described above.
• the majority of mechanically processed textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm.
• the majority of mechanically processed textile fibres have a length in the range of 3 - 5 mm.
• the mechanical processing of the textile fibres may reduce the length of at least some of the textile fibres such that the majority of mechanically processed textile fibres have a length in the range of 1 - 10 mm or 3 - 5 mm.
• the length of a sample of mechanically processed textile fibres can be determined by measuring the length of the fibres within a number of randomly selected subsamples. The length of the fibres within each of the subsamples can be determined using a microscope.
• the mechanical processing of the textile waste 20 comprises shredding the textile waste 20 in a shredder 210 to provide shreds of textile waste.
• a shredder 210 to provide shreds of textile waste.
• the textile waste may be fed into an industrial shredder 210, such as a double shaft shredder.
• the textile waste 20 may be manually sorted prior to its insertion into the shredder 210, in order to remove foreign objects.
• the textile waste When the textile waste is fed into the shredder 210 it may be substantially dry (for example, having a moisture content of 0 - 16 wt %).
• each shred of textile material that is output by the shredder 210 might be 200 mm x 30 mm.
• the shreds of textile waste are cut within a granulator 220 to provide pieces of reduced size (relative to the shreds of material), which are suitable for milling.
• the granulator 220 might comprise counter-rotating, toothed wheels that granulate the input shreds of material to provide the pieces of reduced size.
• the granulator 220 may have adjustable settings to change the size of the pieces of material that are output by the granulator 220, as indicated in Fig. 1B .
• the granulator 220 may be set to output pieces of material that have a particular maximum extent in any/every dimension. That is, in general, output pieces of material are not larger than the particular maximum extent in any dimension.
• the maximum extent might be less than 10 mm in every dimension, such as 6 mm.
• the cutting of the shreds of textile waste within the granulator 220 may reduce the size of the textile fibres within the pieces of textile material, such that the majority of the textile fibres have a length of less than 10 mm. In some examples, the cutting reduces the length of the majority of the textile fibres to 1 - 10 mm. Preferably, the cutting reduces the length of the majority of the textile fibres to 3 - 5 mm.
• the granulator may include one or more cutting blades. The shreds of textile waste may be fed into the granulator 220 using a conveyor.
• the moisture content of the pieces of textile material output by the granulator 220 might be between 0 and 16 wt %.
• those pieces of textile material are filtered prior to milling.
• the filtering may be performed, for example, by the first vibrating screen 230.
• the pieces of textile material may be conveyed to the first vibrating screen 230 (e.g., pneumatically).
• the textile waste may be filtered by removing oversized and/or undersized pieces of textile material from the pieces of textile material output by the granulator 220. Whether a piece of material is considered to be oversized or undersized depends on the individual textile fibre size that is desired when the pieces of textile material are subsequently disassembled into individual textile fibres. It was explained above that the granulator 220 may be set to output pieces of textile waste that, in general, have a particular maximum extent in any dimension. A piece of material might be considered to be oversized if it exceeds this maximum extent in any dimension after being output by the granulator 220.
• Fig. 2 shows an example of the first vibrating screen apparatus 230.
• the vibrating screen 230 comprises an inlet 231, a flail 232, a vacuum generator 233, a first vibrating platform/panel 234, a second vibrating platform/panel 235, a third vibrating platform/panel 236, a first material conduit 237, a second material conduit 238 and a third material conduit 239.
• the vibrating screen 230 also comprises at least one motor that is arranged to cause the first, second and third vibrating platforms 234, 235, 236 to vibrate.
• the pieces of textile material that have been cut by the granulator 220 are fed into the vibrating screen 230 via the inlet 231.
• the pieces of textile material are broken up by the flail 232, which is located in the inlet 231.
• the vacuum generator 233 generates at least a partial vacuum, which causes airborne dust to be removed from the pieces of textile material that have entered the inlet 231.
• Each of the first, second and third vibrating platforms 234, 235, 236 are angled (downwardly, relative to ground) to (gravitationally) guide textile material on the platforms 234, 235, 236 towards the first, second and third material conduits 237, 238, 239, respectively.
• the pieces of textile material may land initially on the first vibrating platform 234.
• Each of the first and second vibrating platforms 234, 235 may include a plurality of apertures (e.g., perforations) which allow pieces of textile material of a certain size to pass through the platform 234, 235.
• the size of each of the apertures in the platforms 234, 235 may depend on the individual textile fibre size that is desired after milling.
• Each of the apertures in the first vibrating platform 234 might have a maximum extent (in one or both dimensions that are parallel to the plane of the platform 234) that corresponds to setting of the granulator 220. For example, if the granulator 220 is set to output pieces of textile waste that have a maximum extent of 6 mm, each of the apertures in the first vibrating platform 234 may have a maximum extent (in one or both dimensions that are parallel to the plane of the platform) of 6 mm.
• each of the apertures in the second vibrating platform 235 has a maximum extent (in one or both dimensions that are parallel to the plane of the platform 235) that is smaller than the maximum extent of each of the apertures in the first vibrating platform 234.
• the maximum extent of each of the apertures in the second vibrating platform 234 might, for example, be 1.5mm in one or both of the dimensions that are parallel to the plane of the platform 235.
• the motor of the vibrating screen 230 causes each of the first, second and third vibrating platforms 234, 235, 236 to vibrate.
• This coupled with the angled nature of the platforms 234, 235, 236, causes textile material to be conveyed along each of the platforms 234, 235, 236.
• Oversized pieces of textile material do not pass through the apertures in the first vibrating platform 234 and are conveyed into the first material conduit 237.
• Appropriately sized pieces of material pass through the apertures in the first vibrating platform 234 (e.g., while the platform 234 is vibrating) and do not pass through apertures in the second vibrating platform 235. These appropriately sized pieces of material are conveyed into the second material conduit 238.
• Undersized pieces of material and dust pass through the apertures in both the first vibrating platform 234 and the second vibrating platform 235, but do not pass through the third vibrating platform 236 (which does not have any apertures for the pieces/dust to pass through).
• the undersized pieces of material and dust are conveyed into the third material conduit 239 by the third vibrating platform 236.
• Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic that includes arrows which show the movement of pieces of material/dust along the first, second and third vibrating platforms 234, 235, 236 into the first, second and third material conduits 237, 238, 239.
• the vibrating screen By conveying undersized pieces of material and dust into the third material conduit 239, the vibrating screen removes undersized pieces from processing prior to milling.
• the undersized pieces of material and dust may be rejected (i.e., not used in forming the composite sheet material).
• the undersized pieces of material (“fines") and dust may be conveyed through to the dust filter 270.
• Each of the first and second vibrating platforms 234, 235 might be user-replaceable, such that one or both of the platforms 234, 235 could be replaced with platform(s) having different characteristics, such as a different aperture size. This will change the manner in which the pieces of material are sorted into the first, second and third material conduits 237, 238, 239. This enables the first vibrating screen 230 to provide a product with a selectable output size, as indicated in Fig. 1B .
• the appropriately sized pieces of material may be conveyed (e.g., pneumatically) to the milling machine 240. Dust levels at this stage are typically very low (e.g., ⁇ 0.5 wt %), so dedusting the pieces of textile material is not typically necessary. Furthermore, given that the moisture content is low (0 - 16 wt %), it is not necessary to dry the pieces of textile material prior to milling.
• the pieces are milled by the milling machine 240 to disassemble the pieces into individual textile fibres.
• the milling machine 240 may be an industrial mill, such as a hammer mill or a disk mill.
• the milling machine 240 may comprise a chamber that houses a plurality (e.g., two) toothed mill discs. One of the discs may rotate (e.g., at a fixed speed) while an adjacent disc remains stationary.
• the pieces of textile material may be pneumatically conveyed between the discs (e.g., through suction). The milling process applies a shear and tear action to open the pieces of textile material and dissemble them into individual textile fibres.
• the vacuum generator 250 may generate at least a partial vacuum to convey the individual textile fibres to the second vibrating screen 260.
• the vacuum generator 250 may, for example, be a cyclone device.
• the second vibrating screen 260 may be the same as the first vibrating screen 230 other than it need not have three vibrating platforms/panels 234, 235, 236. It may instead have two vibrating platforms - a first vibrating platform, including apertures (e.g., perforations), for conveying appropriately sized individual textile fibres towards the fibre storage receptacle 280 and a second vibrating platform, excluding apertures, for filtering out undersized individual textile fibres and dust (e.g., conveying the undersized individual textile fibres and dust towards the dust filter 270).
• the size of each of the apertures in the first vibrating platform might, for example, be 1mm in at least one dimension measured parallel to the plane of the platform.
• Fig. 1B illustrates that the undersized pieces of material ("fines") and dust may be conveyed from the second vibrating screen 260 to the dust filter 270.
• the first vibrating platform might be user-replaceable with another vibrating platform having different characteristics, such as a different aperture size. This will change the manner in which the pieces of material are sorted. This enables the second vibrating screen 260 to provide a product with a selectable output size, as indicated in Fig. 1B .
• the method 100 further comprises forming the mechanically processed textile fibres into a web, as illustrated by the numeral 120 in Fig. 1A .
• the web could also be considered as a body of fibres.
• the web may be in the form of a sheet.
• the web may be a non-woven web, and can be formed by airlaying. In some examples, the web is needle punched once formed.
• the fibres for forming the web Prior to (i.e., upstream of) forming the textile fibres into the web, the fibres for forming the web may be opened from a bale and/or a silo using a fibre opener.
• the method further comprises blending the mechanically processed textile fibres of the textile waste with additive fibres prior to (i.e. upstream of) forming the web.
• additive fibres have been found to improve web stability during processing. In particular, these fibres can improve the stability of the web when forming the web into a roll, and therefore act as a process additive.
• the additive fibres comprise bicomponent fibres, such as polylactic acid/polylactic acid bicomponent fibres, where each polylactic acid element has a different melting point, or polyethylene/polypropylene bicomponent fibres.
• the web may comprise 1 - 10 wt.% of the additive fibres.
• the web comprises 2 - 5 wt.% of the additive fibres.
• the web may comprise predominantly (i.e., more than 50 wt.%) of the mechanically processed textile fibres from the textile waste.
• the web comprises at least 90 wt.% of the mechanically processed textile fibres from the textile waste.
• the web comprises at least 95 wt.% of the mechanically processed textile fibres from the textile waste.
• the web has a weight per unit area of 50 - 500 gsm.
• the web has a weight per unit area of 100 - 300 gsm.
• the web has a weight per unit area of 140 to 240 gsm.
• the formed web may be inserted into and heated in an oven to cause partial melting of the bicomponent fibres.
• the formed web is heated to 140 °C - 170 °C in the oven.
• the formed web may be heated in the oven for 20 - 110 seconds.
• the heating of the web including synthetic bicomponent fibres has been found to stabilise the web.
• the stabilisation of the web enables the web to be processed more readily. Otherwise, the web is more likely to fall apart during processing, for example during winding of the web into a roll, during the formation of the web in an airlaying process, and/or during unwinding of the web roll prior to hydroentanglement.
• the web may be formed into a roll.
• the method 100 further comprises locating an arrangement comprising the web and a reinforcing material into a hydroentanglement apparatus, as illustrated by the numeral 130 in Fig. 1A .
• the arrangement may be in the form of a sheet, and can be formed on a support by laying a sheet of the web onto a sheet of the reinforcing material.
• the web defines a first layer of the arrangement, and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement.
• the reinforcing material is in the form of a sheet.
• the reinforcing material could also be considered as a reinforcing structure.
• the reinforcing material may comprise a structure defined by a fabric.
• the fabric could be a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a non-woven fabric.
• the reinforcing material may comprise a structure defined by a combination of a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, and/or a non-woven fabric.
• the fabric of the reinforcing material is preferably a durable fabric.
• a durable fabric is suitable for multiple cycles of use and washing, as opposed to disposable fabric, which is not suitable for repeated use and/or washing cycles.
• a durable fabric is suitable for use in clothing, footwear, accessories and/or upholstery.
• the fabric of the reinforcing material could be a recycled fabric.
• the reinforcing material has a different weight per unit area to the web, and preferably has a lower weight per unit area than the web. In other examples, the reinforcing material has the same weight per unit area as the web.
• the reinforcing material may have a weight per unit area of 50 - 200 gsm. Preferably, the reinforcing material has a weight per unit area of 60 - 100 gsm.
• the reinforcing material may comprise virgin fibres and/or recycled fibres.
• the reinforcing material may comprise natural, naturally derived, and/or synthetic fibres.
• the reinforcing material comprises splittable fibres.
• the splittable fibres of the reinforcing material may comprise at least two different fibres arranged in distinct segments across the cross-section of the splittable fibre.
• the at least two different fibres may comprise polyester fibres and polyamide fibres, which may be microfibres.
• the arrangement includes a further web on the opposite side of the reinforcing material to the web.
• the web defines a first layer of the arrangement
• the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the arrangement
• the further web defines a third layer of the arrangement.
• the second layer is between the first and third layers in this example (i.e., the further web is on the opposite side of the reinforcing material to the web).
• the further web may be the same as the web described above.
• the further web may have different weight per unit area to the web, a different structure to the web, and/or have a different composition to the web.
• the method 100 further comprises subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus, as illustrated by the numeral 140 in Fig. 1A .
• the hydroentanglement steps include exposing the arrangement to high pressure jets of liquid over a surface of the arrangement.
• the liquid is water.
• the jets may be directed firstly onto a first face of the arrangement, and subsequently onto a second opposite face of the arrangement.
• the jet pressure applied to the surface of the arrangement may be 180 - 380 bar.
• Subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps causes the textile fibres of the web to entangle with each other. Accordingly, the textile fibres of the web interlock with each other by entanglement. Subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps also causes a mechanical bond to form between the textile fibres of the web and the reinforcing material. This bond is caused by some of the textile fibres of the web being pushed by the high-pressure jets of liquid into gaps in the reinforcing material.
• the arrangement in the hydroentanglement apparatus the arrangement is supported on a porous conveyor, which may be the support on which the arrangement is formed, and advanced through one or more treatment stations. In other examples, in the hydroentanglement apparatus the arrangement is supported on a porous drum, which may be the support on which the arrangement is formed, and advanced through one or more treatment stations.
• the one or more treatment stations comprise liquid outlets for subjecting the arrangement to high pressure jets of such liquid.
• the method comprises subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps, wherein in each such hydroentanglement step the arrangement is exposed to high pressure jets of liquid over a surface of one of the faces of the arrangement.
• the method comprises subjecting the arrangement to successive hydroentanglement steps, wherein in each such hydroentanglement step the arrangement is exposed to high pressure jets of liquid over a surface of each of the respective faces.
• Each of the successive hydroentanglement steps on one or each face of the arrangement may be carried out at a different treatment station in the apparatus.
• the conveyor or the drum is arranged to support and advance the arrangement through each of the respective treatment stations.
• the composite sheet material may then be dried, for instance by heating the composite sheet material in an oven.
• the composite sheet material comprises a body of fibres including fibres interlocked with each other by entanglement, wherein the body of fibres comprises textile fibres derived from textile waste.
• the composite sheet material further comprises a reinforcing material, wherein at least some of the fibres of the body of fibres are mechanically bonded to the reinforcing material.
• the reinforcing material forms an intrinsic part of the material (e.g., as opposed to being a backing layer). For example, it may be that the reinforcing material and the textile fibres cannot be separated from each other without the use of one or more tools.
• the body of fibres defines a first layer of the composite sheet material and the reinforcing material defines a second layer of the composite sheet material.
• the composite sheet material formed following hydroentanglement comprises a further body of fibres.
• the further body of fibres includes fibres interlocked with each other by entanglement. At least some of the fibres of the further body of fibres are mechanically bonded to the reinforcing material. At least some of the fibres of the further body of fibres are also mechanically bonded to the body of fibres through gaps in the reinforcing material.
• the further body of fibres defines a third layer of the composite sheet material. The second layer of the composite sheet material is between the first and third layers.
• the composite sheet material may be subject to treatments.
• the treatments can produce materials suitable, for example, for clothing, footwear, accessories and upholstery applications and/or can improve the appearance and handling of the composite sheet material.
• Typical treatment steps include impregnation, colouring, treating with softening oils, drying, buffing, sueding and surface finishing.
• the composite sheet material may also be mechanically or chemically treated to add new functions to the material, such as waterproofing or fire retardancy.
• the composite sheet material may be substantially without any adhesive bonding of the fibres, the mechanical interlocking of the fibres caused by hydroentanglement being the predominant means of attaining and maintaining the integrity of the structure.
• the composite sheet material comprises a coating, for example a polymeric coating.
• the coating may be a water-based. Accordingly, the method may comprise applying such a coating to the composite sheet material following hydroentanglement and one or more of the treatments described above. The coating may be applied following drying and buffing of the composite sheet material.
• the composite sheet material may have a thickness of 0.5 - 2.5 mm. Preferably, the composite sheet material has a thickness of 0.7 mm - 1.6 mm, such as 1.2 mm.
• the composite sheet material may have a weight per unit area of over 250 gsm. Preferably, the composite sheet material has a weight per unit area of 350 - 600 gsm, such as 450 gsm.
• a first sample of textile waste was converted into a first example composite sheet material.
• the first sample of textile waste is post-consumer textile waste derived from waste clothing, and includes a mixture of frayed fibres, yarns and small pieces of cloth.
• the sample includes a mixture of textile fibres, including at least polyester, wool, nylon, cotton, viscose and polypropylene of mixed colours.
• the majority of the textile fibres within the first sample of textile waste have a length in the range of 30 - 100 mm.
• the first sample textile waste was subjected to the method 100 of Fig. 1A described above.
• the textile waste was mechanically processed to break down the textile waste into individual fibres.
• the mechanical processing included shredding, cutting, and milling the textile waste.
• the majority of the textile fibres had a length of 3 - 5 mm.
• the textile fibres derived from the textile waste were then stored in a silo.
• Fig. 4 is a microscope image illustrating textile fibres within the first sample of textile waste, following mechanical processing of the textile waste and the breakdown of the textile waste into individual fibres.
• a first fibre opener was used to open the mechanically processed textile fibres derived from the textile waste from the silo
• the second fibre opener was used to open bicomponent fibres from a bale.
• the two types of fibres were fed into and blended in airlay forming heads by agitators, then airlaid on a 18 gsm tissue supported by a conveyor to form the web.
• the web was then heated in an oven to partially melt the bicomponent fibres and stabilize the web.
• the web was then wound into a roll.
• the web had a weight per unit area of 140 gsm and comprised 96.2 wt.% of the mechanically processed textile fibres and 3.8 wt.% bicomponent fibres.
• the web mounted on a tissue support is shown in Fig. 5 .
• a further web with the same composition was formed using the same method described in the paragraph above, but with a different weight per unit area of 175 gsm.
• An arrangement including the web as a first layer, a reinforcing material as a second middle layer, and the further web as a third layer was located in a hydroentanglement apparatus.
• the reinforcing material in this example was an 82 gsm recycled polyester woven fabric.
• the arrangement was then subjected to successive hydroentanglement steps in the hydroentanglement apparatus, including applying a series of high-pressure water jets (180 - 210 bar water jet pressure in this example), alternating between the front and back faces of the arrangement.
• the composite sheet material was then dried in an oven and buffed on each face.
• One of the two faces of the composite sheet material was then sueded to provide a first example composite sheet material.
• the sueded face corresponds to the side of the arrangement with the 140 gsm web.
• the first example composite material is shown in Figs. 6A and 6B .
• the physical properties of the first example composite material were tested, and the results are shown in Table 1 below.
• the composite material prepared from textile waste using the method above was found to be a surprisingly robust material.
• Table 1 Property Test method Test results Thickness, mm BS EN ISO 2589 0.95 Weight per unit area, g/sqm EL-QUA-SOP31 339 Softness, mm IUP 36 4.0
• the test was carried out on the sueded face 16.8 Tear strength, N BS EN ISO 3377 43
• a second example composite sheet material was prepared.
• the second example composite sheet material is the same as the first example composite sheet material, however rather than sueding the face of the composite sheet material, a water-based coating is instead applied to the same face of the composite sheet material.
• the second example composite sheet material is shown in Figs. 7A and 7B .
• a second sample of textile waste was converted into a third example composite sheet material.
• the second sample of textile waste is post-industrial textile waste derived from an artificial upholstery offcut material.
• the offcut material was provided in approximately 0.1m x 1m strips.
• the second sample includes a mixture of unsplit polyester microfibres, split polyester microfibres and polyurethane particles in mixed colours.
• Fig. 8 is a microscope image illustrating textile fibres within a second sample of textile waste, following mechanical processing of the textile waste and the breakdown of the textile waste into individual fibres.
• the second sample of textile waste was subjected to the method 100 of Fig. 1 described above to form a third example composite sheet material.
• the third example composite sheet material was prepared using a similar method as the first example composite sheet material, but with some differences.
• the reinforcing material is a polyester woven fabric formed from virgin fibres, rather than recycled fibres.
• the second sample of textile waste was used in place of the first sample of textile waste, and the composition and weight per unit area of the webs was different.
• the web had a weight per unit area of 142 gsm, and a composition of 95.2 wt.% of fibres derived from the second sample of textile waste and 4.8 wt.% bicomponent fibres.
• the further web had a weight per unit area of 184 gsm, and a composition of 95.2 wt.% of fibres derived from the second sample of textile waste and 4.8 wt.% bicomponent fibres.
• the sueded face of the third example composite material corresponds to the side of the arrangement with the 142 gsm web.
• the third example composite material is shown in Figs. 9A and 9B .
• the images of Figs. 9A and 9B are at the same level of magnification as the images of Figs. 6A and 6B , and therefore use the same scale.
• the physical properties of the third example composite material were tested, and the results are shown in Table 2 below.
• the third example composite material prepared from textile waste using the method above was also found to be a surprisingly robust material.
• Table 2 Property Test method Test results Thickness, mm BS EN ISO 2589 0.71 Weight per unit area, g/sqm EL-QUA-SOP31 267 Softness, mm IUP 36 4.9 Tensile strength, N/mm A modified version of BS EN ISO 3376 11.2 Break Elongation, % BS EN ISO 3376 22.4 Peel strength, N/cm EL-QUA-SOP04 - The test was carried out on the sueded face 13.5
• a high performance, strong, durable and flexible composite sheet material can be formed from a wide variety of textile waste feedstocks, including those with a mixture of many types of fibre and also feedstocks with impurities. No separation of the types of fibres within the textile waste, separation of impurities from the textile waste, or chemical treatment of the textile waste is required. Such a high-performance material would not be expected without separating and/or chemically treating the textile waste.
• the composite sheet material can outperform the material from which the textile waste is derived in terms of strength and thickness, so can be considered an upcycled material.
• the composite sheet material is formed from an arrangement comprising three web layers. Where the arrangement comprises three layers, the arrangement may comprise two webs on one side of the reinforcing material, and a single web on the opposite side of the reinforcing material.
• the third web layer may be added to the arrangement before the hydroentanglement process, or during the hydroentanglement process.
• the method 100 described above in relation to Fig. 1A and aspects of the system 200 described above and illustrated in Fig. 1B may be used to form a composite sheet material from leather waste.
• a system 300 for generating leather fibres from leather waste 30 is illustrated in Fig. 10 .
• the resulting leather fibres may be used to form a composite material in the same manner as that described above and illustrated in blocks 120, 130 and 140 of Fig. 1A in respect of textile fibres.
• the shreds of leather waste are cut within the granulator 220 in the same manner as described above in relation to textile waste.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
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• Synthetic Leather, Interior Materials Or Flexible Sheet Materials (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
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• 2022
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