Development of Sustainable Artificial Stone Using Granite Waste and Biodegradable Polyurethane from Castor Oil

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world’s major ornamental stone producers. As a consequence, ornamental stone wastes are generated on a large scale and are usually open air disposed. Thus, it is important to develop novel material reusing these accumulated wastes, aiming to minimize environmental impact. The development of artificial stones made with ornamental stone wastes agglomerated by a synthetic polymer represents an excellent alternative and, therefore, is currently the subject of several works. This work seeks to develop an innovative artificial stone containing 85%wt of granite waste and 15%wt of vegetable polyurethane from castor oil, a biodegradable resin, from a renewable source. The purpose is creating a sustainable material, technically viable to be applied as a civil construction coating. To manufacture the artificial stone plates, granite and polyurethane were mixed and transferred to a metallic mold subjected to vibration, vacuum and, later, hot compression. The artificial stone presented low water absorption (0.13%) and apparent porosity (0.31%) as well as a favorable 17.31 MPa bend strength. These results were confirmed through the excellent particles/matrix adhesion displayed in the micrographs, in addition to great chemical resistance.

Aquisição De Rocha De Engenharia Para Aplicação Na Construção Civil

“…A RALF apresentou uma densidade baixa devido a matriz natural de mamona cuja densidade informada pelo fabricante fica em 1,22g/cm³ em comparação com outras rochas naturais, esse baixo valor facilita na logística e aplicação do produto por serem mais leves e fáceis de manusear e também pode refletir em mais poros ou cavidades. O mesmo fenômeno da densidade baixa, ocorre em estudos anteriores como apresentados pela rocha artificial composta por resíduo de granito e matriz natural de mamona [14,19,20].…”

“…Borselino et al [23] encontrou valores entre 10,6 e 22,2 MPa para o mármore artificial produzido com resina epóxi e Gomes et al [20] encontrou valores para a rocha artificial desenvolvida com resíduo de granito e resina natural 18,10 MPa e de porosidade 0,99%, sendo igual a tensão máxima de ruptura em relação a RALF, comprovando que a porosidade maior não afetou consideravelmente a sua propriedade mecânica.…”

Research on Green Consumption Based on Visual Evaluation Method—Evidence from Stone Flooring Industry

“…Green consumers frequently favor natural building materials in architectural design. Man-made materials can provide users with the same visual experience as natural materials [21], and can also lower production, operation, and maintenance costs, as well as reduce carbon emissions while promoting environmental sustainability [22][23][24]. This is due to a shared orientation towards sustainability and the scarcity of natural resources.…”

Manufacturing Epoxy and Polyurethane-based Artificial Stones from Waste Glass of Colorless Beverage Packaging

“…In this study, a vegetable-based resin, polyurethane from castor oil, was used to address this issue. Although polyurethane resin has lower mechanical strength and limited ductility compared to synthetic polymers, using vegetable-based polymers has the potential to create a more sustainable material 18 .…”