What are the processes involved in the recycling of PVC floor-coverings?


The recycling process begins with the collection of post-use PVC floor-coverings. Once they have been removed, they are cut into pieces and taken to the nearest collection centre.

herausnehmen des PVC-Bodenbelags
The prerequisite for successful recycling is careful sorting, as the collection centres only collect post- use PVC floor-coverings in accord- ance with the AgPR recycling specifications (see list) and the conditions laid down by the AgPR and the ARP of Switzerland. herausnehmen des PVC-Bodenbelags

The recycled PVC material is produced at our recycling plant in Troisdorf using the following processes:

After sorting, the post-use PVC floor-coverings are broken up into chips no larger than 30mm in size. Following the magnetic removal of metals, the chips are freed from concrete and glue residues using a hammer-mill. Afterwards, a sieving machine separates the pieces from these unwanted residues. For the final grinding process PVC material is then cooled to a temperature of -40C using liquid nitrogen. As a result of this cooling process, the pieces become temporarily brittle and can be further ground to particles no larger than 0,4mm in size by a fine grinding mill.

herausnehmen des PVC-Bodenbelags

. The material is packed into 'Big Bags' and dispatched to AgPR's shareholders.

This finely ground powder is a valuable material used by floor-covering manufacturers in the making of new high-grade PVC floor- coverings. Consequently, the AgPR and the ARP complete a branch-wide material cycle in order to save valuable raw materials and energy resources accordingly.