Sustainable flooring
Commercial flooring manufacturer Interface, Inc. (Atlanta, Ga.; www.interface.com) has created what is claimed to be the world’s first carbon-negative carpet tile, thanks to process technology designed and supplied by industrial process solutions company IPCO AB (Sandviken, Sweden; www.ipco.com).
Interface CQuestBioX tiles feature a new type of backing that incorporates a high concentration of carbon-negative materials, including recycled tiles, scrap from in-house processes and selected bio-based additives.
Interface full CQuest backings line is produced on IPCO ScatterPro and ThermoPress systems. ScatterPro is a precision scattering technology used to deposit bulk materials in a consistent layer before being formed by pressure or heat (or both) in a ThermoPress system. A modular design allows multiple stages to be incorporated into one continuous process. Once the material has been scattered, it is heated to its melting point. A non-woven glass-fiber scrim is then laid on top and a second layer of recycled scrap deposited to impregnate the material as it passes through a second heating stage, creating the finished backing. Finally, the carpet upper is unwound and laminated to the backing.