MANUFACTURE OF SOLE FROM LEATHER AND PLASTIC WASTES

Abstract

The environmental and economic requirement to increase recycling rates is one of the principal driving forces behind technological innovation in the 21st century. Though, this study relied on the industry wastes of leather and plastic for making soles used in footwear and aimed to determination of the physical properties of a sole from leather and thermoplastic blends. Method one used leather and rubber buffing wastes. The leather and rubber buffing wastes resulted from buffing machine were blended and mixed with Polyurethane adhesive in different formulations 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70, 20/80 and 10/90 to make up a total of 150g blend. Method two were used two different grades of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) wastes injection and extrusion grades, The blend was prepared from extrusion and injection according to the following compositions ratio: 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 to make up a total of 3Kg blend. Mechanical properties of the experimental footwear sole, such as tensile strength, elongation and hardness were evaluated. Density test had been determined as a physical test. The leather and rubber buffing wastes were blended successfully and the result showed that. the tensile strength was 28.8 (kg/cm2), elongation 50 (%), hardness 81 (shore A) and density 0.91 (gm/cc). the optimum different composition of leather and rubber buffing wastes blends (leather\rubber 50:50) provided good mechanical and physical properties of sole. The PVC injection grade and PVC extrusion grade blends were useful for manufacture footwear sole. The optimum composition of PVC blends (extrusion/injection; 70/30) provided good mechanical and physical properties of sole. On conclusion the wastes produced from leather and plastic proved to be a good for manufacturing sole for footwear.