Neumag BCF technology demonstrates the potential for carpet-to-carpet recycling

In a joint project with Object Carpet GmbH, Denkendorf; the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA), Augsburg; and Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR), Feldkirchen, Austria, Barmag investigated the processing of recycled polyester for BCF yarn. The goal was to evaluate the fundamental suitability of 100% recycled carpet material for reuse in carpet yarn production to create a closed-loop system in carpet manufacturing. To date, commercial rPET BCF processes have been based solely on rPET from bottle pellets.

The tests were conducted on the Neumag BCF line at the R&D center in Neumünster. Thanks to its flexible process control and targeted parameterization, the line enables the processing of even challenging materials and is therefore well-suited for development and test runs.

As part of the investigations, recycled PET from 100% polyester NEOO carpet material supplied by Object Carpet was processed without the addition of virgin polymer. The trials, conducted on a practical production scale, demonstrated that it is possible to feed the material back into the spinning process. Dr. Kirsten Prehn, who is responsible for the Neumag BCF processes, summarizes: “During the trials, we observed that, as expected, material quality — particularly viscosity and purity — significantly influences process stability and yarn quality. Using the Neumag BCF system, we were able to adapt the process control specifically and flexibly to the particular requirements of the recycled polymer and thus produce BCF yarn.”

Part of the recycled yarn was subsequently used to produce a carpet sample. The results show that a closed-loop system in the BCF sector is not merely a theoretical concept: a mono-material carpet product can deliver a genuine recycling loop in practice — without the addition of virgin polymer. Neumag BCF systems can play a key role in the evaluation and further development of recycling processes. At the same time, the trials have identified areas where approaches for stable industrial implementation and further optimizations in material design and process control are possible. The flexibility of process control on Neumag BCF systems is an essential prerequisite for this.