Recycling footwear industry waste and evaluation the deterioration in soil

Abstract

The production of footwear generates various residues, such as cotton fabric flaps and rubber chips, which are materials that have characteristics that make it difficult to recycle. Thus, the objective of this study is the mechanical recycling of these residues, obtaining blends of these residues with Capro-PU and EVA. They are processed mechanically by comminution, extrusion and pelletizing, obtaining chemically analyzed materials and subsequently submitted to the injection and lamination processes in order to observe the characteristics in the form of industrialized products. The materials were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and CO2 release rate evaluation. The recycled materials were subjected to the lamination and injection processes where they were evaluated according to characteristic tests for the production of assembly insoles. By the TGA, it was possible to verify that the blends had a greater thermal stability when compared to the pure consumables. Regarding the mechanical tests, all blends were within the limits established by the PFI and showed values of CO2 release rate higher than the values of the test only with the fabric, since this is a biodegradable material. Thus, it is observed that the present study is a breakthrough for materials processing technology, creating new products with suitable characteristics for manufacturing processes and presenting microbiological degradation capacity, when discarded in soil.