To find out where we can go with technology, it is good to know where the journey started, and also what we are trying to achieve.
The original yarn in artificial grass was made from nylon. Used predominantly by Astroturf for American Football and hockey, it was abrasive, expensive, required gallons of water to soften it and suffered in high areas of UV. But, it did play well, with the tight curly yarns ideal for hockey ball roll.
To reduce cost and change the dynamics of turf, polypropylene was introduced, and this enabled a different experience. Yarn became more flexible, softer, but lost some of its durability. Hockey and tennis benefited, but it was not the right polymer for football.
The next polymer to be introduced was polyethylene, which added extra durability, but more importantly was much softer and player friendly. Initially more expensive than polypropylene, it has become more economical and is now the main polymer used in artificial grass.
Back to nylon. This was extruded into thin fibres and was combined into a bundle that was knitted into the turf. With the advent of polypropylene, the shape of the yarn became a flat tape, that split into blades after tufting into a backing cloth, to create the grass like appearance. This fibre was weak and carried on splitting with use, eventually wearing out.
With polyethylene being a stronger material, soon individual tapes were being produced and bundled together before they were tufted into a backing cloth. Shapes were added to the material to create more durable yarns that added resilience and softness – ideal for football use.
Over recent years this yarn has become even stronger, with its durability extending way beyond what is, arguably, needed. The combination of different shapes and shades of green has made the yarn more natural in appearance and given it better sporting characteristics. Perhaps synthetic turf has nearly reached the end of its development cycle?
However, we have new challenges. Yarn is still produced from polymers made as a bi-process of “cracking” oil, and is considered a plastic, and therefore not environmentally friendly. Recent recycling developments mean that, at end of life, old turf can be converted back into a basic plastic, which is positive, but perhaps not the end of the road for the original material.
Some innovation is now appearing around making yarn from old synthetic turf fibres, which is unlikely to be cost efficient. Producers are also looking at making polymers from avocado stones, and other natural materials. Although very much at the beginning of this new cycle of innovation, it would appear that this is the next jump for yarn technology.
