The utilisation of asparagus husks for the market segment of wood-plastic composites (WPC), which has a production volume of around 260,000 tons per year throughout Europe has been focused. A significant portion of the WPC is produced in Germany for flooring, decking and more. The researchers first prepare the asparagus husks and then process them using extrusion and injection molding technology. Ideally, asparagus husks will contribute to a circular, sustainable bioeconomy for application-related products in the near future – especially in the flooring segment.
Floorings for healthy housing and a healthy environment
One of the renowned flooring specialists from Germany, is increasingly tailoring its entire portfolio to the growing awareness of sustainability. Including improved recycling properties and a longer product lifespan. These challenges are not unknown to the manufacturer.
Giving old carpets a new life
Part of companies and Association of the German Home Textile Industry, are among the partners in a research project of the Aachen-based institutes TFI (Institute for Floor Systems) and IKV (Institute for Plastics Processing). This project aims to develop a completely circular textile floor covering. TFI and IKV are currently developing a method to produce textile floorings made from PA6, which are suitable for a cradle-to-cradle approach, by combining film extrusion and pile bonding using thermobonding technology.
The best of two worlds
With the hybrid wood floor Hywood, a completely new and patented flooring genre has already succeeded at DOMOTEX 2023. According to the laudatory speech, the GREEN COLLECTION Award winner combines the best of two worlds: In everyday use, the innovation is absolutely on a par with ordinary utility flooring and impresses with its water resistance. At the same time, the floor is made of almost 100 percent real wood and is also designed to be particularly resource-friendly due to its structure. Hywood convinces with all positive and healthy properties of natural wood and represents the future of wooden flooring in circular flooring design.
New and intelligent material
With its large surface area, flooring plays a crucial role in a healthy indoor climate. The increasing level of insulation in buildings is reducing the exchange between indoor and outdoor air, and pollutants from wallpaper, furniture, paints, and conventional flooring remain in the air for much longer. Innovations counter this effect. The design floor is free of chlorine, phthalates, plasticizers and solvents. Instead of PVC, Talcusan was used, a new and intelligent material, which consists primarily of chalk and silicates. Only 30 percent of Talcusan consists of polymer polypropylene. Meanwhile the polypropylene is inert, meaning that there is no molecular migration. Polypropylene is a safe material and even used in food packaging.
Bio-based design floors
There’s a bio-based design vinyl floor that relies on the much-vaunted power of the soybean. With this innovation, the future of vinyl flooring has been created, which intends to match a wide variety of requirements. Each design is available as SPC (“Solid”), as dryback (“Pro”) and as vinyl on wood backing (“Comfort”). In this context, the Comfort implementation is designed to be water-resistant.
