AlliedSignal Recycles Carpet Too

AlliedSignal Recycles Carpet Too

I read with great interest your article titled “New Life for Old Carpets” in the June issue (

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 6). It was one of the more comprehensive and accurate articles on the subject of carpet recycling.

However, I would like to point out that AlliedSignal does have a very active recycling program to depolymerize nylon 6 carpet. You reported that only DuPont and BASF had active collection programs. In fact, our collection program has probably collected more carpet than some of the other companies mentioned.

The difference is that we are not currently using carpet recycling as a marketing tool. If you look at both DuPont’s and BASF’s carpet recycling programs, they are centered around selling more carpet. In order to qualify for participation in either program, you must buy their branded carpet product. So far AlliedSignal has decided not to tie our recycling program directly to the sales of new carpet.

AlliedSignal collects all our carpet through independent collectors who specialize in collecting recyclables. These collectors get their material not through green marketing, but through the creation of an economic benefit for the consumer. We do not require that our customers buy our product, nor do we only take AlliedSignal’s product. We simply purchase nylon 6 carpet from independent collectors.

I would also like to correct your comment that AlliedSignal “abandoned” the “joint venture” with NREL. First, it was not a joint venture, it was a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA). Second, we were told by the Department of Energy (DoE) to make a choice between the CRADA and another DoE grant. After a careful engineering assessment, we decided that the technology developed under the grant would take less time to commercialize, and it was more economical. After giving this assessment to the DoE, they dropped funding for both programs. It was the DoE who abandoned AlliedSignal.

However, the decision of the DoE to drop all funding significantly accelerated the progress at AlliedSignal. Since this time, the depolymerization process has been modified. AlliedSignal has been allowed a U.S. patent for the modified process, and a patent application has been issued in Europe. This patented process has been practiced in the United States at a large pilot facility since January of this year. The pilot facility has demonstrated our ability to reclaim virgin quality nylon from post-consumer carpet, as well as provided useful engineering and economic information about the process.

Beyond our efforts to develop this process, AlliedSignal has also made significant contributions to the carpet recycling industry. Dr. Duffy introduced the idea of a Carpet Component Identification Code (CCIC) to the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). He also continues to lead the CRI team which developed the CCIC, and is now implementing the program at Bronx 2000. I also was responsible for coordinating the last CRI symposium on carpet recycling. Finally, we were first to develop and make carpet face fiber identification technology available to the industry. I would like to believe that we have focused our money on the task at hand, developing the most cost-effective carpet recycling technology. After all, carpet recycling will only become a reality if it is economically feasible.

Michael R. Costello

Senior Staff Scientist

Recycling Technology

AlliedSignal