The project CO2Tex has received a positive grant notice and started its work. Led by RWTH Aachen University, Oerlikon bamag, Schill+Seilacher, ZIMMERMANN, medi, carbon minds, covestro and adidas jointly work on establishing commercially viable elastic filament yarns made from CO2-containing TPU. At the end of the project, these yarns can be processed as easily as possible with existing industrial plants into yarns as well as textile pre- and end- products.
In order to develop a stable and reproducible melt spinning process for TPU-yarns containing CO2, modifications are being made to spinning plants. These include the investigation of spinnerets, filament cooling, godet surfaces and winding technology. In addition, spin finishes are adapted to the process and tested. The developments are scaled up from technical to industrial scale. If the production of suitable yarns is possible, the process chain for the production of sports and medical textiles is investigated and adapted. This includes the processes of covering, knitting and finishing. Finally, the use of TPU-yarns containing CO2 is evaluated ecologically and economically by life-cycle-assessment (LCA).
