A Fire-Retardant Composite Made from Domestic Waste and PVA

Abstract

We report the synthesis of a composite from domestic waste with the strength of wood building materials. We used original domestic waste with only a simple pretreatment to reduce the processing cost. The wastes were composed of organic components (generally originating from foods), paper, plastics, and clothes; the average fraction of each type of waste mirrored the corresponding fractions of wastes in the city of Bandung, Indonesia. An initial survey of ten landfills scattered through Bandung was conducted to determine the average fraction of each component in the waste. The composite was made using a hot press. A large number of synthesis parameters were tested to determine the optimum ones. The measured mechanical strength of the produced composite approached the mechanical properties of wood building materials. A fire-retardant powder was added to retard fire so that the composite could be useful for the construction of residential homes of lower-income people who often have problems with fire. Fire tests showed that the composites were more resistant to fire than widely used wood building materials.

A Simple Processed Waste Composite Board Product with Superior Properties than The Market Wood Board

“…The type and amount of the waste composition in each region may differ depending on the economic characteristic. Developing countries such as Indonesia produce municipal waste typically dominated by food waste, vegetable waste, leaves from the yard, as well as plastic, paper, textile waste, etc [5]. Previous researches have succeeded in processing waste with upcycle recycling, for example almond shells waste has been successfully used as a composite board without adhesive [6].…”