Insulation Material Produced from Carpet Waste

Insulation Material Produced from Carpet Waste SANKO Schools students won first place in Turkey at the "19th Science Research Projects Competition" organized by Özel Ege Lisesi with their project titled "Production of Insulation Material from Carpet Waste with Ulexite Addition and Investigation of Its Usability." At the competition where SANKO Schools participated with four projects, the project "Production of Insulation Material from Carpet Waste with Ulexite Addition and Investigation of Its Usability," prepared by 5th grade students Kerem Utku Kaleli and Ufuk Alkın Karayılan under the guidance of project advisor teacher Gülden Dilsiz, achieved significant success by placing first in Turkey among the 12 science projects that reached the finals. Providing information about the project, Kerem Utku Kaleli stated that while certain materials are directly used as insulation materials, waste materials can also be used in recycling as insulation materials. Noting that carpet waste is one of the materials used as insulation material, Kaleli continued as follows: "Approximately 600,000 tons of carpet waste is generated annually from carpet factories. For the country's economy, such a high amount of carpet waste represents a significant loss. Carpet waste generally arises when carpets are sculpted or shaved. However, recycling of carpet waste is a laborious process due to both the size of the waste and the substances it contains. Not every waste can be recycled and reused in the same sector, or only very little can be. Carpet waste is generally recycled and used as filling material in the furniture and decoration sectors."

"Project that can contribute to energy efficiency"

Ufuk Alkın Karayılan, expressing that they investigated the use of carpet waste as insulation material through the project, shared the following information: "We added ulexite (a boron variety very rich in minerals), a natural substance, to the waste generated when carpet is shaved. According to the results obtained from the applied method, we determined that adding ulexite to carpet waste can be used as insulation material and delays its ignition against flame. As the amount of ulexite increases, heat insulation increases further while the initial ignition time also increases. Carpet waste with ulexite addition can be safely used as insulation material and can contribute more to energy efficiency," he said.