Composite materials prepared from waste textile fiber

Composite materials were prepared utilizing whole carpet and LDPE. The addi tion of compatibilizers during processing was shown to provide an improveme nt in the mechanical performance of such materials. It is believed that the addition of a reactive compatibilizer to the system increases both the com patibility between components of the composite material and interfacial int eractions, through chemical reactions between functional groups on the comp atibilizer and the surface of the carpet fibers under the processing condit ions. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.