VACUUM CLEANER FILTER BAG COMPRISING DUST- AND/OR FIBER-LIKE RECYCLED MATERIAL

Abstract

The invention provides a vacuum cleaner filter bag, comprising a wall enclosing an interior and made of an air-permeable material and an inlet opening introduced into the wall, characterized in that the air-permeable material comprises at least one layer of a nonwoven fabric which comprises powdery and/or fibrous recycled material from the production of textiles, in particular cotton textiles, and/or from wool shearing and/or seed fibers.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag, comprising: forming a nonwoven fabric, which, comprises powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing or from wool shearing, or comprises seed fibers; forming an air-permeable material comprising at least one layer of the nonwoven fabric; and forming a vacuum cleaner filter bag having an interior-enclosing wall made of the air-permeable material and having an inlet opening introduced into the wall.

2. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the powdery or fibrous recycled material is cotton dust, or the seed fibers are cotton linters or kapok fibers.

3. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the nonwoven fabric layer comprises powdery or fibrous recycled material comprising up to 95 wt. % of the powdery or fibrous recycled material and at least 5 wt. % of bonding fibers, or wherein the nonwoven fabric layer comprises seed fibers comprising up to 95 wt. % of the seed fibers and at least 5 wt. % of bonding fibers.

4. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 3, wherein the bonding fibers have staple fibers with a length of 2 to 75 mm.

5. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 3, wherein the bonding fibers comprise bicomponent fibers, wherein the bicomponent fibers comprise a core comprising a first thermoplastic material and a sheath comprising a second thermoplastic material which melts at lower temperatures than the first thermoplastic material, and wherein the core comprises or both the core and the sheath comprise one or more recycled plastics.

6. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material is constructed in several layers, the air-permeable material having, in addition to the at least one layer of nonwoven fabric, at least one further layer comprising a nonwoven fabric or a fiber web, wherein at least one of the additional layers comprises one or more recycled plastics.

7. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material comprises: at least one support layer and at least one capacity layer, wherein the at least one support layer is a nonwoven fabric, or wherein the at least one capacity layer is a nonwoven fabric or a fiber web, comprising one or more recycled plastics, or at least one fine filter layer, at least one capacity layer, and at least one optional support layer, wherein the at least one optional support layer or the at least one fine filter layer is a nonwoven fabric made of one or more recycled plastics, or wherein the at least one capacity layer is a nonwoven fabric or a fiber web, comprising one or more recycled plastics.

8. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein a) each support layer is a spunbond nonwoven fabric or scrim, b) the air-permeable material comprises 1 to 3 support layers, in case of at least two support layers, a total grammage of a sum of all the support layers is 10 to 240 g/m.sup.2, or c) all support layers are made of one or more recycled plastics.

9. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein a) each fine filter layer is an extrusion nonwoven fabric, b) the air-permeable material comprises 1 to 5 fine filter layers, c) in case of at least two fine filter layers are present, an overall grammage of a sum of all fine filter layers are 10 to 300 g/m.sup.2, d) the at least one fine filter layer is made of one or more recycled plastics, e) the at least one fine filter layer is electrostatically charged.

10. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein a) the at least one capacity layer is a nonwoven fabric comprising powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing or from wool shearing, or comprising seed fibers, b) the air-permeable material comprises 1 to 5 capacity layers, or c) in case of two capacity layers are present, an overall grammage of a sum of all capacity layers is 10 to 300 g/m.sup.2.

11. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein the air-permeable material is formed in several layers with a layer sequence seen from the interior of the vacuum cleaner filter bag: a support layer, at least one capacity layer, at least one fine filter layer, and a further support layer.

12. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner filter bag has a retaining plate enclosing the inlet opening, and wherein the retaining plate comprises one or more recycled plastics.

13. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein at least one flow distributor or at least one diffuser is arranged in an interior of the vacuum cleaner filter bag.

14. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 6, wherein the recycled plastic is selected from the group consisting of recycled polyesters, recycled polyolefins, recycled polyvinyl chloride (rPVC), recycled polyamides, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

15. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 2, wherein a weight proportion of all recycled materials or cotton linters relative to a total weight of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, is at least 25%.

16. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner filter bag comprises a flat bag, a block bottom bag, or a 3D bag.

17. (canceled)

18. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein at least one capacity layer comprises the nonwoven fabric.

19. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 13, wherein the at least one flow distributor or the at least one diffuser is made of one or more recycled plastics, or a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nonwoven fabric comprises powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing or wool shearing, or wherein the nonwoven fabric comprises seed fibers.

20. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 19, wherein the nonwoven fabric comprising powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing comprises cotton textiles.

21. The method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 14, wherein the recycled polyesters are selected from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), recycled polybutylene terephthalate (rPBT), recycled polylactic acid (rPLA), recycled polyglycolide or recycled polycaprolactone; and wherein the recycled polyolefins are selected from recycled polypropylene (rPP), recycled polyethylene or recycled polystyrene (rPS).

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0106]

TABLE-US-00001 Grammage Weight Recyclate [g/m.sup.2] per bag [g] content [%] Outer support layers 25 4.2 100 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Middle support layer 17 2.9 100 Capacity layer C 35 5.9 80 Capacity layer D 35 5.9 80 Inner support layer 15 2.5 100 Retaining plate 5.0 0 Total filter bag 31.4 60.5

[0107] The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to Example 1 is also made of a 7-layer air-permeable material. A support layer (outer) is arranged on the clean air side, to which two fine filter layers (meltblown made of virgin PP) are attached in the direction of the interior. Both meltblown layers are enclosed by an additional support layer. Attached thereto are two capacity layers C and D, which are finally enclosed by a support layer on the dirty air side (inside). The capacity layers C and D is made of a nonwoven fabric material, 80 wt. % of which is made of cotton dust or seed fibers and 20% of BiCo bonding fibers. This nonwoven fabric material is described in detail in WO 2011/057641 A1. The cotton dust or seed fiber content in the capacity layers is added to the total recyclate content.

[0108] With such an embodiment, a proportion of recycled material, i.e. the sum of recycled plastics, as well as cotton dust or seed fibers of 60.5 wt. %, is achieved relative to the entire vacuum cleaner filter bag.

EXAMPLE 2

[0109]

TABLE-US-00002 Grammage Weight Recyclate [g/m.sup.2] per bag [g] content [%] Outer support layers 25 4.2 100 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Middle support layer 17 2.9 100 Capacity layer A 35 5.9 100 Capacity layer D 35 5.9 80 Inner support layer 15 2.5 100 Retaining plate 5.0 0 Total filter bag 31.4 64.3

[0110] The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to Example 2 is constructed in the same way as the vacuum cleaner filter bag according to Example 1. The outer capacity layer corresponds to a capacity layer according to Examples 6 to 8, i.e. a carded staple fiber nonwoven fabric consisting of 100% recycled PET fibers. The recycled content of a finished vacuum cleaner filter bag is 64.3 wt. %.

EXAMPLE 3

[0111]

TABLE-US-00003 Grammage Weight Recyclate [g/m2] per bag [g] content [%] Outer support layers 25 4.2 100 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Middle support layer 17 2.9 100 Capacity layer C 35 5.9 80 Capacity layer D 35 5.9 80 Inner support layer 15 2.5 100 Retaining plate 5.0 100 Total filter bag 31.4 76.4

[0112] The vacuum cleaner filter bag in Example 3 corresponds to a vacuum cleaner filter bag in Example 1, with the difference that the retaining plate is made of 100% rPET. The total amount of recycled materials in this vacuum cleaner filter bag is 76.4 wt. %.

EXAMPLE 4

[0113]

TABLE-US-00004 Grammage Weight Recyclate [g/m2] per bag [g] content [%] Outer support layers 25 4.2 100 Meltblown 15 2.5 80 Meltblown 15 2.5 80 Middle support layer 17 2.9 100 Capacity layer C 35 5.9 80 Capacity layer D 35 5.9 80 Inner support layer 15 2.5 100 Retaining plate 5.0 100 Total filter bag 31.4 89.3

[0114] The vacuum cleaner filter bag in Example 4 corresponds to the vacuum cleaner filter bag in Example 3, with the difference that the two fine filter layers are made of a bicomponent meltblown nonwoven fabric with a core made of rPET and a sheath of polypropylene. The recyclate content of such a vacuum cleaner filter bag is 89.3 wt. %.