Aquafil to Open Nylon 6 Recycling Operation in Arizona

Chicago, IL, June 19, 2017-Aquafil has announced its plans to build a new carpet deconstruction facility in Arizona.

In a FloorDaily interview, Aquafil USA president, Franco Rossi, announced that the plant will use a new patented process to deconstruct post-consumer carpet. The company will break down the carpet into its three components utilizing a new “dry and wet” process and send the nylon 6 face fiber to its Slovenia recycling plant for depolymerization.

The company hopes to process 35 million pounds of carpet per year and may introduce additional technology in depolymerization in the U.S. at a later date.

While Aquafil has been recycling fishing nets for nylon 6, there is a limited amount of those that the company can put their hands on. It sees carpet as an available and not fully utilized feedstock that otherwise ends up in the landfill or down-cycled.

The company believes that this development should help pick up demand for recycled nylon 6.