PureCycle Technologies Inc. announced the initial sale of nearly 500,000 pounds of resin to Drake Extrusion Inc. to produce continuous filament yarns, which could be used to make items such as rugs, upholstery and apparel. PureCycle is a technology company based in Orlando, Fla., that converts polypropylene (PP) plastic waste into like-new plastic. Drake Extrusion is a colored filament yarn, staple fiber and colored PP fiber manufacturer based in Martinsville, Va.
The agreement comes after Drake’s successful production of continuous fiber using a compound that includes PureCycle’s PureFive™ resin. The resin was produced in Ironton, Ohio, from 100% post-consumer recycled feedstock and then developed into a compound by PureCycle’s research and development (R&D) team in Durham, N.C.
“We’ve been looking for a partner who can repeatedly deliver a post-consumer recycled PP that can be turned into a sustainable fiber for our customers. We’ve tested PureCycle’s material under various operating conditions and produced multiple types of fiber and their product significantly surpassed our expectations. These fiber packages are now with many of our customers to gauge their interest, but we see this as a strong growth opportunity for our company,” says John Parkinson, CEO of Drake.
Approximately 20% of the global virgin PP supply is used for fiber and yarn. Until now, there has not been a reliable recycling alternative to replace virgin PP due to the complexity of the fiber manufacturing process. Polypropylene fiber is preferred for its lightweight, durability, moisture and chemical resistance.
“This achievement is a testament to our technology, the quality of our product and the talent of our team. We’ve worked diligently to create a compound that runs like the virgin material Drake uses for various applications. This is a transformative moment for the industry, and has the ability to change the way fiber producers think about recycled PP,” says Dustin Olson, PureCycle CEO.
Drake and PureCycle worked through multiple trials to produce continuous filaments of varying thicknesses in order to expand the end-use applications. The thicker fiber is ideal for outdoor upholstery, while the thinner material is intended for the apparel market.
PureCycle’s R&D team plans to continue testing various compounds at its lab to increase the amount of recycled content that can be successfully introduced for fiber applications. Work is also being done to create a compound for staple fibers which could have opportunities within the carpet, automotive and other industries.
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