Drake purchases PureCycle resin following production of continuous filament yarns

Advanced recycler PureCycle Technologies Inc., Orlando, recently announced the sale of nearly 500,000 pounds of resin to Martinsville, Virginia-based Drake Extrusion Inc. for the production of continuous filament yarns, which could be used to make items such as rugs, upholstery and apparel. Drake is a leading manufacturer of colored filament yarn and staple fiber in North America.

The agreement comes after Drake’s successful production of continuous fiber using a compound that includes PureCycle’s PureFive resin, produced at the company’s Ironton, Ohio, plant. PureCycle says PureFive is made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled feedstock and developed into a compound by the company’s research and development team in Durham, North Carolina.

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“We’ve been looking for a partner who can repeatedly deliver a postconsumer recycled polypropylene that can be turned into a sustainable fiber for our customers,” Drake CEO John Parkinson says. “We’ve tested PureCycle’s material under various operating conditions and produced multiple types of fiber—their product significantly surpassed our expectations. These fiber packages are now with many of our customers to gauge their interest, but we see this as a strong growth opportunity for our company.”

PureCycle says approximately 20 percent of the global virgin polypropylene (PP) supply is used for fiber and yarn, but until now, there has not been a reliable recycling alternative to replace virgin PP because of the complexity of the fiber manufacturing process. The company says PP fiber is preferred for its light weight, durability, moisture and chemical resistance.

“This achievement is a testament to our technology, the quality of our product and the talent of our team,” PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson says. “We’ve worked diligently to create a compound that runs like the virgin material Drake uses for various applications. This is a transformative moment for the industry, and has the ability to change the way fiber producers think about recycled PP.

“We needed a partner like Drake to realize this breakthrough. Their industry knowledge and manufacturing capacity is expected to help bring PureCycle’s recycled PP solution to a much larger customer base and improve the circularity of textiles.”

PureCycle worked with Drake through multiple trials to produce continuous filaments of varying thickness in order to expand the end-use applications. The company says the thicker fiber is ideal for outdoor upholstery, while the thinner material is intended for the apparel market. The fiber also was successfully textured, which softens the material to the touch.

PureCycle says its research and development team plans to continue testing various compounds at the company’s laboratory to increase the amount of recycled content that can successfully be introduced for fiber applications. Work also is being done to create a compound for staple fibers, which could open the door to opportunities within the carpet and automotive industries, among others.