Technological watch

Technyl 4earth premium recycled polyamide selected by Kärcher

22 Oct 2018Solvay Performance Polyamides announces that the manufacturer of cleaning technology Kärcher is using Technyl 4earth high-quality environmental solution. The premium recycled polyamide becomes henceforth the material of choice for molding spray lances of Kärcher’s high-pressure cleaners.





Kärcher is strongly committed to increasing the use of recycled materials in its well-known products.

“Sustainability and environmental protection are firmly rooted in our company philosophy and actions,” said Daniel Carmine Manocchio, Manager of the group Material Technology at Kärcher's Central Research and Development.

The company is one of the first major international OEMs to evaluate and embrace Solvay’s Technyl 4earth technology.

“After adopting Technyl 4earth as a component of our resource-conserving solutions, we have already manufactured more than one million high-pressure spray lances molded using this remarkable recycled polyamide.” 



The spray lances must meet a range of demanding requirements including high pressure resistance, hydrolytic stability, very high impact strength, printability and compatibility with cleaning agents. 

“After comprehensive testing, we selected a 30 percent glass fiber reinforced Technyl 4earth compound. It behaves exactly as comparable virgin PA6.6 both in terms of physical in-use properties and processability, without compromising the superior quality and safety of our equipment,” Manocchio added. “After switching the first production plant completely from virgin Technyl to Technyl 4earth we are now evaluating its further use throughout our extensive portfolio.” 

Technyl 4earth is a range of PA6.6 engineering plastics born out of the Move4earth project supported by the European Commission (LIFE+ program). A patented process transforms stable sources of technical fabrics, such as automotive airbag cushions, into prime quality polyamide. Technyl 4earth offers properties comparable to those of equivalent virgin PA6.6 and can reduce such environmental impacts as CO2 emissions, water consumption, and use of non-renewable energy.

“We are proud to have such a globally renowned brand manufacturer as Kärcher recognizing the value of Technyl 4earth,” said Richard Bourdon, Move4earth Project Director for Solvay. “The spray lance is a perfect example of the demanding applications we are targeting while exploring new opportunities and partnerships with customers seeking to foster sustainable design and increase the recycled plastic content in their products.”

Technyl 4earth is commercially available in various grades with a glass content up to 50 percent. Solvay’s proprietary recycling technology ensures both consistent material quality and security of supply to meet fast-growing demand for more sustainable high-performance applications in a wide range of markets, from automotive components to electrical appliances, and consumer and industrial goods.

Publication date: 22/10/2018

JEC Composites

This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme

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Last update: 2022-01-31