Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties

Abstract Recycling polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a significant challenge for the footwear industry due to its short lifecycle and environmental impact. This study focused on recycling thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride (rPVC) from used sports shoes, sourced from a recycling company. The rPVC and thermop...

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Main Authors: Giovanna Marsura, Juliana Otavia Bahú, Laura Plazas Tovar, Romilda Fernandez-Felisbino, Eliezer Ladeia Gomes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Associação Brasileira de Polímeros 2025-01-01
Series:Polímeros
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-14282024000400603&lng=en&tlng=en
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author Giovanna Marsura
Juliana Otavia Bahú
Laura Plazas Tovar
Romilda Fernandez-Felisbino
Eliezer Ladeia Gomes
author_facet Giovanna Marsura
Juliana Otavia Bahú
Laura Plazas Tovar
Romilda Fernandez-Felisbino
Eliezer Ladeia Gomes
author_sort Giovanna Marsura
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Recycling polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a significant challenge for the footwear industry due to its short lifecycle and environmental impact. This study focused on recycling thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride (rPVC) from used sports shoes, sourced from a recycling company. The rPVC and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were melt-blended and prepared using industrial injection molding with varying compositions. These polymer blends were then characterized morphologically, thermally, and mechanically. The recycled polymer blends demonstrated improved properties compared to the virgin polymers. Blending TPU with rPVC resulted in a material with notable hardness and enhanced abrasion resistance, with TPU/rPVC blends (67/33 and 50/50 wt.%) showing double the abrasion resistance of pure PVC. Additionally, the rPVC blend exhibited a rupture strength of 14.73 MPa, 1.6 times greater than virgin PVC. The TPU/rPVC blend (50/50 wt.%) also offered higher deformation resistance, indicating a more entangled and tensile structure. These advancements support the development of environmentally friendly footwear.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1678-5169
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Associação Brasileira de Polímeros
record_format Article
series Polímeros
spelling doaj-art-b6fc8c115ad34bacb9fa5a102bf7e07e2025-01-21T07:37:01ZengAssociação Brasileira de PolímerosPolímeros1678-51692025-01-0134410.1590/0104-1428.20240064Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical propertiesGiovanna MarsuraJuliana Otavia Bahúhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7885-2559Laura Plazas Tovarhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1001-9250Romilda Fernandez-Felisbinohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2855-5449Eliezer Ladeia Gomeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5250-8282Abstract Recycling polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a significant challenge for the footwear industry due to its short lifecycle and environmental impact. This study focused on recycling thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride (rPVC) from used sports shoes, sourced from a recycling company. The rPVC and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were melt-blended and prepared using industrial injection molding with varying compositions. These polymer blends were then characterized morphologically, thermally, and mechanically. The recycled polymer blends demonstrated improved properties compared to the virgin polymers. Blending TPU with rPVC resulted in a material with notable hardness and enhanced abrasion resistance, with TPU/rPVC blends (67/33 and 50/50 wt.%) showing double the abrasion resistance of pure PVC. Additionally, the rPVC blend exhibited a rupture strength of 14.73 MPa, 1.6 times greater than virgin PVC. The TPU/rPVC blend (50/50 wt.%) also offered higher deformation resistance, indicating a more entangled and tensile structure. These advancements support the development of environmentally friendly footwear.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-14282024000400603&lng=en&tlng=encircular economypolymer blendpolyvinyl chloridethermoplastic polyurethaneupcycling
spellingShingle Giovanna Marsura
Juliana Otavia Bahú
Laura Plazas Tovar
Romilda Fernandez-Felisbino
Eliezer Ladeia Gomes
Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
Polímeros
circular economy
polymer blend
polyvinyl chloride
thermoplastic polyurethane
upcycling
title Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
title_full Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
title_fullStr Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
title_full_unstemmed Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
title_short Recycled PVC to eco-friendly materials for footwear industry: process and mechanical properties
title_sort recycled pvc to eco friendly materials for footwear industry process and mechanical properties
topic circular economy
polymer blend
polyvinyl chloride
thermoplastic polyurethane
upcycling
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-14282024000400603&lng=en&tlng=en
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AT julianaotaviabahu recycledpvctoecofriendlymaterialsforfootwearindustryprocessandmechanicalproperties
AT lauraplazastovar recycledpvctoecofriendlymaterialsforfootwearindustryprocessandmechanicalproperties
AT romildafernandezfelisbino recycledpvctoecofriendlymaterialsforfootwearindustryprocessandmechanicalproperties
AT eliezerladeiagomes recycledpvctoecofriendlymaterialsforfootwearindustryprocessandmechanicalproperties