Valorization of textile waste into high-strength polypropylene composites using an innovative composite fabrication method: A technological strategy towards circular economy

Excessive textile waste generation, pre-consumer or post-consumer, is a major environmental concern when dumped in landfills and incinerated in the open atmosphere. Manufacturers can explore new avenues for profit by leveraging this low-cost waste. Considering this opportunity, the current study presents an efficient process to recycle pre-consumer waste, i.e., spinning mill waste cotton fibers (SMWCF), to develop a low-cost composite material to reduce the waste burden and provide a sustainable construction material for society. This was achieved through a simple and innovative composite manufacturing process in which SMWCF and polypropylene fibers (PP) were homogeneously blended in a carding machine and subsequently hot pressed in a compression molding machine. The weight percentage of SMWCF was increased from 0 to 40 % and subsequently, composites were fabricated to study mechanical and thermal properties. The study revealed that the developed composite fabrication process at 200 °C was suitable for achieving a high tensile strength of 54.5 MPa, flexural strength of 66.5 MPa and an interlaminar shear strength of 9.2 MPa. The carding process used was able to homogeneously blend SMWCF and PP fibers, leading to good impregnation of cotton fibers by the PP matrix. Further, the carding process was able to create a unique nano-roughness on the surface of SMWCF and PP fibers, resulting in good fiber–matrix interfacial bonding. Overall, the findings of this study suggest an effective strategy to convert pre-consumer textile waste into a low-cost, value-added construction material.