Impact of hot melt on environmental protection

Impact of hot melt on environmental protection

Introduction to hot melt
Hot melt, also known as low melting point fiber, is one of the functional fibers that has developed rapidly in recent years. It is generally produced by composite spinning of polyester and modified polyester. It can melt at a lower temperature than ordinary polyester and bond with other fibers.

Environmental advantages of hot melt
Replace chemical adhesives: Hot melt can replace chemical adhesives such as glue, avoiding the pollution of volatile organic compounds and powder layer, reducing the use and emission of harmful chemicals, reducing the risk of air and water pollution, and avoiding the potential harm to human health caused by harmful substances that may be contained in chemical adhesives.
Reducing process flow and energy consumption: The use of hot melt does not require complex curing, drying and other processes like traditional chemical adhesives, saving process flow, reducing downstream production costs, and correspondingly reducing energy consumption in the production process, improving production efficiency, and helping to reduce environmental pollution caused by energy production and use.
Recyclable and reusable: Some common hot melt products such as polyester hot melt, the waste generated during the production process and the product itself are recyclable and reusable, which conforms to the concept of circular economy, can effectively reduce the impact on the environment, reduce resource waste, and improve resource utilization.
No solvent pollution: Hot melt does not contain solvents, and will not release harmful solvent gases during use. It is more friendly to the environment and the health of operators, and avoids the potential safety hazards and environmental pollution problems such as solvent volatilization, combustion and explosion caused by traditional solvent-based adhesives.
Development of bio-based and degradable hot melt: With the popularization of the concept of sustainable development, bio-based and degradable hot melt has become the focus of research and development. Bio-based hot melt uses renewable biomass as raw material. Its production process is more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based hot melt, which can reduce dependence on non-renewable resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And degradable hot melt can gradually decompose in the natural environment after use, and will not cause white pollution due to long-term accumulation like traditional plastics. It has less damage to the ecological environment such as soil and water sources, which helps to promote the development of the green textile industry.

Environmental issues and solutions in the production process of hot melt wire
Waste gas emission: During the melt extrusion and spinning process of hot melt wire, organic waste gases such as caprolactam monomer waste gas, non-methane total hydrocarbons, and particulate matter will be generated. In this regard, enterprises can use a gas collection hood to suck the waste gas into the circulating water tank, so that the caprolactam monomer waste gas is dissolved in water, and the particulate matter is intercepted by water, and then discharged from the exhaust pipe after dry filtration + secondary activated carbon treatment to reduce the pollution of waste gas to the environment.
Wastewater treatment: Some wastewater may be generated during the production process of hot melt wire, such as equipment cleaning wastewater. Enterprises should establish a complete wastewater treatment system to classify, collect, treat and discharge wastewater in compliance with standards to avoid organic matter, chemical substances, etc. in wastewater from polluting the water environment.
Waste residue treatment: Enterprises should reasonably collect and properly treat solid wastes such as waste silk and waste materials generated during the production process. The recyclable and reusable parts should be recycled and reused, and the non-recyclable parts should be harmlessly treated in accordance with environmental protection requirements to prevent them from polluting the soil, groundwater and other environments.

Environmental benefits of hot melt wire in different fields
Textile industry: In textile production, hot melt wire is often used to make linings and adhesive layers of clothing. Due to its environmentally friendly and non-toxic characteristics, the use of hot melt wire can improve the safety and environmental friendliness of textiles and reduce the irritation and potential harm of chemical adhesive residues to the skin. At the same time, hot melt wire has good washability and is not easy to fall off or decompose during the washing process to produce pollutants such as microplastics, which helps to extend the service life of textiles and reduce waste generated by frequent changes of clothing.
Packaging industry: In the packaging industry, hot melt wire is widely used in processes such as carton sealing, glue sealing, and label laminating. Its rapid curing and high viscosity characteristics make the packaging seal more firm and reliable, reduce the use of packaging materials, and reduce the generation of packaging waste. In addition, the environmental performance of hot melt wire also meets the packaging industry’s demand for green packaging materials, which helps to reduce the pollution of packaging waste to the environment.
Automobile industry: In the automobile manufacturing process, hot melt wire is used for bonding, fixing and sealing of automobile interiors. The use of hot melt wires can improve the assembly efficiency and quality of automotive interiors, while reducing the use of chemical adhesives, reducing the volatilization of harmful gases in the car, improving the air quality in the car, and providing a healthier environment for drivers and passengers. Moreover, the recyclability of hot melt wires after the end of the service life of the car also helps to improve the recycling rate of automotive parts and reduce the pressure of automotive waste on the environment.
Electronics Industry: In the electronics industry, hot melt wires are used to fix, encapsulate and connect electronic components. Its high viscosity and temperature resistance can provide stable adhesion for electronic devices, while avoiding the pollution and damage that traditional chemical adhesives may cause to electronic components, and improving the reliability and service life of electronic products. In addition, hot melt wires are also easier to separate and recycle during the recycling and treatment of electronic waste, which helps to achieve the resource utilization and harmless treatment of electronic waste.

Future Development Trends of Hot Melt Wires and Environmental Protection
Material R&D Innovation: In the future, material scientists will continue to develop new hot melt wire materials to further improve their environmental performance. For example, develop hot melt products with higher biodegradability, lower environmental toxicity, and less resource consumption, as well as hot melts that are better compatible with other environmentally friendly materials to meet the needs of environmentally friendly materials in different fields.
Application field expansion: With people’s attention to environmental protection and the continuous advancement of hot melt technology, the application field of hot melt will continue to expand. In addition to the existing clothing, packaging, automobile, electronics and other industries, hot melt will also be more widely used in high-end fields such as aerospace, medical, and construction, providing new solutions for the environmental protection development of these industries.
Industrial upgrading and coordinated development: The hot melt industry will develop in coordination with upstream and downstream industries to jointly promote the environmental protection upgrade of the industrial chain. Upstream raw material suppliers will increase the research and development and production of bio-based and degradable raw materials to provide hot melt companies with more environmentally friendly raw material options; midstream hot melt manufacturers will continue to improve production processes and environmental protection levels, reduce energy consumption and pollutant emissions in the production process; downstream application companies will more actively adopt hot melt products, develop more environmentally friendly products and application solutions, form a complete green industrial chain, and jointly promote the development of environmental protection.
Policy and standard promotion: The government will introduce more stringent environmental protection policies and standards to regulate and supervise the production, use and disposal of thermal melt wires, and promote the thermal melt wire industry to develop in an environmentally friendly and sustainable direction. At the same time, relevant policies will also encourage enterprises to increase their investment in the research and development of environmentally friendly thermal melt wire materials and application technologies, and improve the market’s recognition and acceptance of environmentally friendly thermal melt wire products.

Conclusion
As a functional fiber with environmental protection characteristics, thermal melt wire plays an important role in many fields. Its environmental protection advantages are obvious, but there are also some environmental protection problems in the production process that need to be solved. With the continuous advancement of technology and the improvement of environmental awareness, the environmental protection performance of thermal melt wire will continue to improve, and the application field will be further expanded, with broad prospects for future development. We will continue to pay attention to the dynamics and development of the thermal melt wire industry, and jointly promote the application and development of thermal melt wire in the field of environmental protection.