PA6/TPU TEXTILE WASTES RECYCLING: A STUDY ON THE REACTIVE COMPATIBILIZATION VIA IN SITU PLASMA TREATMENT DURING TWIN-SCREW EXTRUSION

• Grant number: 25/13863-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2026
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Andrea Cruz
• Grantee: Graziela Solferini Baccarin
• Supervisor: Roberto Quintana Vicente
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Luxembourg Institute Of Science And Technology, Luxembourg
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/07174-6 - PLASMA MODIFICATION IN FABRICS FROM THE RECYCLING OF WASTE FROM THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY BASED ON POLYAMIDE/ELASTANE, BP.DR

Abstract

The increasing generation of textile waste demands the development of sustainable recycling strategies. Among synthetic textiles, polyamide 6 (PA6) blended with elastane (TPU) is widely used, particularly in activewear, yet its recycling remains underexplored due to the incompatibility between the two polymers. This project aims to investigate a novel approach to compatibilizing PA6/TPU blends during thermomechanical recycling through atmospheric pressure plasma treatment in situ during the extrusion process, eliminating the need for chemical additives. Initially, post-industrial PA6/TPU textile waste will be ground, chemically and thermally characterized, and then processed in a twin-screw extruder coupled with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma jet that can reactive compatibilizing a phase-separated mixture in situ during extrusion. A Design of Experiments (DoE) will be conducted to evaluate the influence of plasma power and residence time on the morphology and compatibility of the blends. SEM analysis (droplet size measurements), and mechanical tests will serve as indicators of compatibilization. The most representative samples from the DoE will undergo advanced characterization, including rheological, thermal, chemical, and mechanical analysis. This study aims to expand the scientific understanding of plasma-induced compatibilization and contribute to more sustainable practices in textile recycling. Moreover, this project will be developed in collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) under the supervision of Dr. Roberto Quintana. Prof. Quitana has experience polymerization through plasma treatment, polymer surface modification via plasma and blend compatibilization, which every one of these expertise is highly relevant for the development of the present project. The results obtained will contribute to advancing knowledge in textile recycling, particularly regarding the use of plasma treatment as a reactive compatibilization strategy, which is still scarcely explored in the literature.