A foam article, such as a cushioning element for an article of footwear, apparel or sporting equipment is provided that comprises a foam component, such as a midsole, having a number of beneficial physical characteristics. The cushioning element is a low-density foamed component with a surface skin that encases the remaining foam volume. The cushioning element has a number of foam volumes, arranged to achieve a more consistent foam component. Additionally, the cushioning element includes a series of concentric ridges extending radially outwardly from injection gate vestige locations, and a number of striation bands near the perimeter of the cushioning element. The location of the gate vestiges can be beneficially arranged to produce intersecting flow boundaries that are located away from key strain areas of the cushioning element. The cushioning element is more environmentally-friendly, requiring less energy to produce while still providing acceptable energy return and low density.

Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

Fossil-fuel and rubber-derived waste stream conversion to composite lumber substitutes or barrier members; the composites having material properties and uses of greater value than the solid waste stream components separately or together. Preferred combinations including waste materials derived from waste carpet, waste tires, and waste bituminous roofing shingles, all enormous problems for landfill disposal. In a range of formulation ratios, when combined with a binder, new and marketable products are made from solid waste. Improved resistance to rot, to water, and to weathering is exhibited in synergy with improved compressive and flexural strength, enabling production of a wide variety of useful and environmentally-friendly structural products, for example. Product weight and strength can be engineered to suit and may be structural members for architectural, engineering or agricultural use. Advantageously, the new products themselves can be re-used—by an end-of-life process for making more new products, achieving the capacity to make and remake multigenerational products from solid wastes and to reduce loading of landfills. Production by profile extrusion and by RIM molding are described.

Systems and methods of producing a solid fuel composition are disclosed. In particular, systems and methods for producing a solid fuel composition by heating and mixing a solid waste mixture below atmospheric pressure to a maximum temperature sufficient to melt the mixed plastics within the solid waste mixture is disclosed.

Blends of recycled plastic materials and plastic products made therefrom are provided. The blends combine a high fraction of recycled medical waste with mixed recycled plastics, such as polyolefins or carpet waste. Also provided are methods for processing a heterogeneous waste stream such as medical waste to yield a homogenous material capable of blending with other materials and extrusion to form useful plastic products such as structural materials and consumer articles.

A vehicle having an interior panel, wherein the interior panel comprises a recycled material is described. The recycled material may comprise a recycled base material and a resin.

A method of recovering a decomposition product of a thermosetting resin cured product, the method includes a step of contacting an object to be treated, that contains a thermosetting resin cured product, with a treatment liquid containing an alkali metal compound and an alcohol solvent, to decompose and dissolve the thermosetting resin cured product; a step of mixing the treatment liquid, in which a decomposition product of the thermosetting resin cured product is dissolved, and an acidic aqueous solution to separate the mixture into an aqueous layer and an organic layer containing the decomposition product; and a step of recovering the organic layer.

A wood composite material made of a mixture of wood particles and polystyrene, where the composite is made of at least 50% polystyrene but no more than 75% polystyrene and at least 25% wood particles but no more than 50% wood particles, with some embodiments of the composite material having approximately 1% of carbon nanofibers by weight. The composite material is made by dissolving polystyrene in an organic solvent to create a slurry paste, adding wood particles to the slurry paste (and in some embodiments, adding the carbon nanofibers to the slurry paste) to create a solvent mixture, and as the solvent evaporates from the solvent mixture, the final mixture is created and hardens into the final composite.

A foam article, such as a cushioning element for an article of footwear, apparel or sporting equipment is provided that comprises a foam component, such as a midsole, having a number of beneficial physical characteristics. The cushioning element is a low-density foamed component with a surface skin that encases the remaining foam volume. The cushioning element has a number of foam volumes, arranged to achieve a more consistent foam component. Additionally, the cushioning element includes a series of concentric ridges extending radially outwardly from injection gate vestige locations, and a number of striation bands near the perimeter of the cushioning element. The location of the gate vestiges can be beneficially arranged to produce intersecting flow boundaries that are located away from key strain areas of the cushioning element. The cushioning element is more environmentally-friendly, requiring less energy to produce while still providing acceptable energy return and low density.

The present invention refers to a foam material with a low-density foam core wherein the foam core is at least partially covered with a skin material having a higher density than the foam core, which has a density of no more than 400 kg/m.sup.3 while the density of the skin material is at least 800 kg/m.sup.3.