INFI-PA6-RECO: Advancing Nylon 6 Materials for Industrial Applications
Developing increasingly high-performance materials designed for recyclability—capable of reducing environmental impact and finding applications in strategic sectors such as advanced textiles, air and water filtration, and composites for sports equipment—represents a key challenge.
In this context, INFI-PA6-RECO was launched, a project coordinated by Politecnico di Torino and carried out in collaboration with Aquafil and INSTM, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the FISA 2024 program.
The project integrates fundamental research, industrial research, and experimental development, with the aim of translating scientific results into concrete applications. Activities are coordinated by Politecnico di Torino and are also carried out at Aquafil S.p.A., leveraging its consolidated expertise in the chemical recycling of nylon 6 through the ECONYL® regeneration process, in collaboration with INSTM and with the contribution of industrial partners such as UFI Filter and Kape GmbH.
At the core of the project is polyamide 6 (PA6), one of the most widely used materials in industrial applications.
“The research aims to rethink the synthesis and transformation processes of PA6 to develop new applications. It goes beyond technology transfer activities and is rooted in the sharing and co-generation of ideas with Aquafil researchers…” – Roberta Bongiovanni, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Polytechnic of Turin.
Innovation in PA6 Fibres, Nanofibres and Composites
The project is structured around three main objectives:
- development and improvement of PA6 fibres, through the optimization of polymerization processes and spinning technologies, to achieve stronger, more durable, and more functional fibres
- production of nanofibres, using electrospinning processes, for the development of air and water filtration membranes, in collaboration with UFI Filter
- development of single polymer composites (SPCs), combining high-strength fibres with PA6 matrices to create fully recyclable materials
The expected results will find applications across various industrial sectors, including advanced technical textiles, filtration systems, and lightweight composite materials for sports equipment. Among the planned demonstrators is also a skateboard developed in collaboration with Kape GmbH.
The project strengthens the collaboration between research and industry, fostering the transition from scientific results to concrete applications.
