Development of FRC Materials with Recycled Glass Fibers Recovered from Industrial GFRP-Acrylic Waste

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) and engineered cementitious composite materials have demonstrated promising requisite in construction industry owing to its superior mechanical and durability properties. In this study, a sustainable approach was taken, i.e., to use industry waste as a reinforcement with improved interfacial bonding leading to enhanced mechanical performance of FRC. An efficient in situ recycling process allowed the authors to extract glass fibers from glass fiber-reinforced polymer acrylic waste. Concrete mixes with low fiber dosages including 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% (by volume) of recycled as well as virgin glass fibers were prepared. The slump of concrete was maintained ∼150 mm by using high water-reducing admixture (HWRA). Notably, lower amount of HWRA was required for raw glass fibers vis-à-vis recycled ones due to its hydrophobic nature. Overall, FRC enclosing 0.3% recycled glass fiber demonstrated >20% enhancement in compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength as compared to control (after 28 days of curing), also supported by morphological analysis.

Current technologies for recycling fiber-reinforced composites

“…There are many reports on possible uses of the obtained recyclates. Patel et al (2019) reported about the lab-scale separation of glass fibers and polymer resin from the fiber-reinforced polymer acrylic waste. Low filler ratios were added to concrete mixes and the obtained results showed up to 20% enhanced compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength [23].…”

“…Patel et al (2019) reported about the lab-scale separation of glass fibers and polymer resin from the fiber-reinforced polymer acrylic waste. Low filler ratios were added to concrete mixes and the obtained results showed up to 20% enhanced compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength [23]. Caggiano et al (2017) recovered steel fibers from cementitious composites and reused as substitution and/or addition of the industrial steel fibers.…”

“…The obtained incombustible materials are usually disposed in landfills [34,35] or used as fillers in cement [21][22][23]. Fraisse et al (2016) have investigated the impact of using thermally recycled glass fibers in re-manufactured composite materials that exhibited lower fiber volume fraction, unchanged values of modulus of elasticity, and a significant reduction in the composites' maximum stress [31].…”

Recycled Glass Fiber Composites from Wind Turbine Waste for 3D Printing Feedstock: Effects of Fiber Content and Interface on Mechanical Performance

“…Recent reports have revealed that the total global production of composites has exceeded 10 million tonnes per year, which, at the end of life, will require over 5 million cubic meters for disposal [3]. Among composite materials, the superior mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) combined with low cost have made them an attractive alternative for solid materials, resulting in 90% use in all of composites currently produced [4]. Aircraft, automotive parts, pipes, and sports equipment are some examples of application sectors for GFRPs [5,6].…”

Effect of Variable Thermal Conductivity on the Generalized Thermoelasticity Problems in a Fiber-Reinforced Anisotropic Half-Space

“…e material performance of fiber-reinforced composites is designable, and its corrosion resistance and durability are good. ose outstanding features inherent in fiber-reinforced composites have led to their widespread applications in aerospace, building engineering, automotive industries, and so on [7,8]. erefore, the fiber-reinforced effect of materials should be considered when studying mechanical behavior.…”