An eco-friendly binder made from recycled laminated glass has been developed by Anker, Devan and Shark Solutions for a new aviation carpet. The PVB (Polyvinyl butyral) binder in the flame-retardant carpet makes use of laminated glass waste from windshields and architectural applications, that would otherwise be sent to landfill. The non-toxic binder contains no chlorine or phthalates and is recyclable.
In the search for a more sustainable binder, German carpet manufacturer Anker discovered the PVB from Shark Solutions, a Danish cleantech company focused on post-consumer PVB. Anker says the properties of carpets with PVB binders are the same as those of traditional carpets. Anker intends to produce several styles of PVB carpet, and plans to steadily remove traditional carpets from its range.
Textile expert Devan Chemicals, known for its flame-retardant solutions, was called in to develop the flame-retardant back coating and ensure it is compliant with Airbus and Boeing safety standards.
“Based on many years of experience and competences in customer-related developments, improving recycling rates is getting more and more important,” said Dirk Vanpachtenbeke, research and development manager for flame retardants at Devan.
In other news, Anker and Devan are working on another new project, which includes Devan’s antimicrobial/viral-reducing technology. Devan recently published test results regarding the effectiveness of its Bi-ome technology against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses. The company reported that in independent tests, Bi-ome reduced viruses including SARS-COV-2 by 99% and higher on unwashed samples, and by 98.5% after 25 wash cycles. This technology has been recognised with a 2020 European Technology Innovation Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan.
