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

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

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

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

5. The vacuum cleaner bag according to claim 3, wherein the bicomponent fibers consists of a core consisting of a first thermoplastic material and a sheath consisting of a second thermoplastic material which melts at lower temperatures than the first thermoplastic material, wherein the core consists or both the core and the sheath consist of one recycled plastic or several recycled plastics.

6. The 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 which comprises powdery or fibrous recycled material or seed fibers, at least one further layer comprising or made of a nonwoven fabric or a fiber web, wherein at least one, several or all of the additional layers comprise(s) one or more recycled plastics or are made thereof.

7. The vacuum filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material comprises at least one support layer and at least one one capacity layer, wherein at least one or all of the support layers constitute nonwoven fabrics or at least one or all of the capacity layers constitute nonwoven fabrics or fiber webs comprising or being made of one recycled plastic or several recycled plastics, or at least one fine filter layer, at least one capacity layer and optionally at least one support layer, wherein at least one or all of the optional support layers or at least one or all of the fine filter layers are nonwoven fabrics made of one or more recycled plastics, or at least one capacity layer or all of the capacity layers are nonwoven fabrics or fiber webs comprising or made of one recycled plastic or several recycled plastics, wherein at least one capacity layer comprises or consists of the nonwoven fabric comprising or being made of powdery or fibrous recycled material or seed fibers.

8. The 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 of 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 recycled plastic or several recycled plastics.

9. The vacuum 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 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) at least one fine filter layers is made of one recycled plastic or several recycled plastics, or e) at least one fine filter layer is electrostatically charged.

10. The vacuum filter bag according to claim 7, wherein a) at least one capacity layer is a nonwoven fabric comprising powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing, or from wool shearing or seed fibers, b) the air-permeable material comprises 1 to 5 capacity layers, or c) in case 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 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 two capacity layer, at least one fine filter layer and a further support layer.

12. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner filter bag has a retaining plate enclosing the inlet port made of or comprising one recycled plastic or several recycled plastics.

13. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein at least one flow distributor or at least one diffuser are arranged in the interior.

14. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, 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 vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, 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 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 vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein all the capacity layers comprise or consist of the nonwoven fabric comprising or being made of powdery or fibrous recycled material or seed fibers.

19. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 13, wherein the at least one flow distributor or the at least one diffuser is made of a recycled plastic or several recycled plastics or a nonwoven fabric comprising powdery or fibrous recycled material from textile manufacturing.

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

21. The 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 per Recyclate [g/m.sup.2] 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 per Recyclate [g/m.sup.2] bag [g] content Outer support 25 4.2 100 layers Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Meltblown 15 2.5 0 Middle support 17 2.9 100 layer 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 per Recyclate [g/m2] 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 per Recyclate content [g/m2] bag [g] [%] 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. %.