Separation of PA 66 from Airbag Coated Fabrics via Hydrothermal Treatment and Evaluation of Recyclability
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Many industrial plastic products are composed of two or more materials to enhance properties such as strength, heat resistance, and functional performance. However, the application of recycling to these composite materials is limited because separation of the constituent materials is difficult. For instance, airbag base fabric is a representative composite material product, typically consisting of a high-value polyamide 66 (PA 66) fabric coated with silicone. As a result, separating the PA 66 from coated airbag fabric is challenging, and most airbags are currently disposed of through thermal recycling (incineration). To address this issue, this study aims to separate PA 66 from coated airbag fabric -a typical common composite material- using only water, in contrast to chemical recycling processes that involve depolymerization. Previous studies have demonstrated that PA 66 can be separated by hydrothermal treatment at temperatures above 200 ℃. This approach utilizes the melting point depression of polymers in hot water. Although property evaluation of PA 66 separated at 210 ℃ for 30 minutes has been conducted, the long processing time makes this approach unsuitable for practical application. Therefore, in this study, a condition of 220 ℃ for 10 minutes was selected as a balanced approach in terms of recovery rate, suppression of degradation, processing efficiency, safety, and environmental impact. Evaluation of PA 66 separated under this condition confirmed that silicone residue was less than 1%. Furthermore, the separated PA 66 could be molded into sheet form by hot pressing, and its mechanical properties were evaluated through dynamic viscoelastic measurements and tensile testing. These results indicate that PA 66 separated by this method can be processed by melt molding and demonstrates potential for application in material recycling.
Source: Seikei-Kakou
Authors: Yusuke Ikeuchi, Jun Inagaki, Katsuya Ito
Institution: Toyobo (Japan)
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7213633741