VALORIZATION OF MECHANICAL RECYCLED FISHING NETS IN MONOPOLYMER BLEND WITH CHEMICAL RECYCLED FISHING NETS

Introduction

Discarded fishing nets in marine environments constitute one of the most persistent forms of plastic pollution, contributing to the “ghost nets” phenomenon, which poses severe threats to marine ecosystems and biodiversity. These materials are primarily composed of nylon (PA6), widely employed for its high mechanical strength, durability, and abrasion resistance. However, their end-of-life management remains a major environmental challenge, as recovery operations are difficult and contamination, weathering, and mechanical degradation significantly limit recyclability. Current valorization strategies mainly involve mechanical recycling for secondary composite materials and chemical recycling through depolymerization, enabling the recovery of regenerated nylon with properties comparable to virgin polymers. In this study, we investigate the possibility of recycling discarded nylon fishing nets in monopolymer blends with chemically recycled nylon to enhance sustainability.

Methods

Post-consumer nylon fishing nets were collected and mechanically recycled. The recovered material was blended with chemically recycled Nylon-6 (ECONYL® ECO 27, Aquafil Group) to obtain formulations containing 10 wt% and 30 wt% recycled content. The blends were compounded via extrusion and characterized in terms of rheological behavior and mechanical performance.

Results

All formulations exhibited a slight low-frequency plateau and shear-thinning behavior at high frequencies. The incorporation of recycled nets reduced complex viscosity without significantly altering overall rheological behavior compared with ECONYL®. The recycled Nylon-6 showed an elastic modulus of 1021 MPa, tensile strength of 31 MPa, and elongation at break of 16%. Higher recycled content caused a moderate decrease in mechanical properties, but the blends maintained satisfactory structural integrity and tensile strength.

Conclusions

This work demonstrates that recycled nylon fishing nets can be effectively reprocessed through conventional melt-processing techniques. Despite slight reductions in viscosity and mechanical performance at higher recycled contents, the blends maintained adequate properties, confirming the potential of end-of-life fishing nets as sustainable secondary raw materials within a circular economy framework.