The aim of this paper is to present the influence of the modification of polypropylene (PP) fibers on the sorption capabilities of the fibers. The physical modification of the PP fibers was made with inorganic nanoadditives in the mass, with a view to improving the properties of silicate composites used in the construction industry. The compositions of the modified PP fibers using two different nanoadditives were based on previous work, as well as the work presented in this paper. The prepared modified PP fibers were compared with pure PP fibers, and their mechanical and thermomechanical properties were evaluated. Another task of this work was to evaluate and compare the sorption capabilities of these fibers without the preparation of concrete blocks. Therefore, the Washburn method was used. However, the obtained results led us to the conclusion that the given method points to the excellent transport properties of PP fibers if such properties are used to evaluate the sorption of the fibers. However, the sorption of the prepared modified fibers could be associated with the nanoadditives used, which have a higher water sorption capacity compared to pure PP fibers, and this could also ensure the higher adhesion of the modified PP fibers with inorganic additives to the cement matrix compared to the adhesion of the hydrophobic PP fibers.

Due to the large amount of plastic waste that is currently produced, the demand for ecological solutions to this situation has been growing. Many research studies in recent years have focused on polylactic acid (PLA) as a biodegradable material made from renewable resources. The individual components of biodegradable materials should comply with the EN 13432 standard, which defines the properties of a “compostable” material. Careful selection of dyes and pigments is therefore important in terms of maintaining the biodegradability of the finished products. In this article, we focus on evaluating the flow properties of color masterbatches modified with inorganic biodegradable pigments. Two types of PLA were used as polymer pigment carriers, and titanium dioxide, carbon black, and two iron oxides were used as inorganic pigments. We monitored the effect of the type and concentration of pigments on the processability and rheological properties of the prepared color PLA masterbatches. The capillary viscometer and rotary rheoviscometer were used to determine rheological properties. The flow properties of color masterbatches containing 1 and 3 wt.% inorganic pigments with two types of pure polymers, PLA6100 and PLA175, were compared. We found that the color PLA masterbatches had good processability and satisfactory rheological properties, and therefore they are usable for further processing.

The aim in this paper is the presentation of the influence of modification of polypropylene (PP) fibres on sorption capabilities of fibres. Modification of PP fibres were made with inorganic additives in the mass with a view to improving silicate composites – in construction. The prepared modified PP fibres were compared with pure PP fibres and their mechanical and thermomechanical properties were evaluated. And we wanted to evaluate and compare the sorption capabilities of these fibres using the Washburn method. However, the obtained results led us to the conclusion that the given method rather points to the excellent transport properties of PP fibres, as if it evaluated the sorption of the fibres.

Textile waste is no longer dominated by simple single-polymer materials. Most post-consumer textiles contain combinations of natural and synthetic fibres, elastane, dyes, coatings, finishes, and other additives, which makes selective recycling considerably more difficult. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) offer a promising route for addressing this complexity because their composition and physicochemical properties can be widely tuned. However, the outcome of DES treatment is often discussed mainly in terms of solvent composition or solvent–polymer affinity, although these factors alone cannot explain why similar DES formulations may lead to different responses in different polymeric or textile systems. In this review, DES-assisted textile recycling is examined from a mechanistic polymer-science perspective. The discussion focuses on how polymer morphology, transport accessibility, supramolecular organization, chemical reactivity, and processing conditions jointly determine whether a material undergoes swelling, molecular dissolution, structural destabilization, or chemical degradation. Particular attention is paid to the distinction between these processes, since changes in sample mass, fibre appearance, or crystallinity do not by themselves prove either true polymer dissolution or chain scission. Evidence from cellulose-based fibres, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, elastane-containing materials, and multicomponent textile systems is used to show how different material outcomes may arise from apparently related DES–polymer interactions. The reviewed studies indicate that selectivity in DES-assisted textile recycling should not be treated as a fixed property of the solvent or of the polymer alone. It is more appropriately understood as the result of a coupled and time-dependent interaction between the DES medium, polymer morphology, textile architecture, and processing conditions. The mechanistic framework proposed here provides a basis for comparing reported DES-based recycling strategies, identifying the experimental evidence needed to support mechanistic claims, and guiding the rational selection of DES composition, process conditions, and recovery pathways for complex textile waste.

This work aims to present the results of evaluating the coloristic properties of polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. PLA is common nowadays in much research, as it is a biodegradable plastic from renewable sources. However, little research is devoted to PLA fibers, and even less to applied research of colored fibers. The prepared color masterbatches, created using inorganic pigments, such as titanium dioxide and carbon black, were subsequently used to prepare dyed PLA fibers in mass. The fibers were drawn to the maximum drawn ratio. The properties of the pure and dyed fibers were investigated before and after accelerated light aging using Q-SUN equipment. The changes were recorded by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and colorimetric properties were recorded using a device spectrometer from TECHKON SpectroDens. We also evaluated thermal properties from the first heating via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The measurements were taken before and after the aging of the PLA fibers, in order to see the effect of aging on the supermolecular structure, excluding the influence of the preparation process and the influence of the kind of PLA. Using inorganic pigments showed sufficient color stability even after accelerated light aging, which is beneficial for using colored fibers in practice.

This work presents the preparation and obtained results of the properties of biodegradable-oriented systems of dyed polymer by biocolorants in mass. The oriented systems (films) were prepared from biodegradable material Nonoilen. Our applied research is focused on preparing masterbatches using inorganic, organic, and food-nature pigments to prepare films as packaging materials. Inorganic pigments, such as iron and titanium oxide, and organic pigments were selected to maintain the biodegradability of the polymer mixture, as the manufacturer declares the biodegradability of the selected pigments. The food-natural pigments are extracted from plants and food pigments, such as chlorophyll, caramel, and violets. First, rheology was evaluated to verify the processing conditions of the materials, and then the properties of the prepared films were examined. Mechanical properties, supermolecular structure, and coloristic properties were assessed for the pure and dyed films. We investigated color fastness after accelerated thermal-light aging using Q-SUN equipment. Food-nature pigments showed sufficient colorability after preparation, although the coloration was lost relatively quickly after accelerated light aging. If they are used as food packaging materials, these pigments would be highly safe for health, in addition to being biodegradable. The color stability of inorganic and organic pigments reached high stability values even after accelerated aging.