Structural, thermal, morphological and dynamic mechanical characteristics of waste‐reinforced polypropylene composites: A novel approach for recycling electronic waste

Abstract

An in-depth investigation has been carried toward utilizing polymer-rich nonmetallic fraction of printed circuit boards (PCBs) as reinforcing fillers in polypropylene (PP) composites. The influence of waste additions (up to 25 wt %) on structural, thermal, morphological, and dynamic mechanical behavior of PP composites was investigated using a range of analytical techniques. The incorporation of PCB waste was found to affect the crystalline morphology resulting in the formation of smaller spherulites. The presence of glass fibers in PCB waste promoted the formation of b-crystal enhancing the mechanical properties of composites. Thermal analysis showed a maximum increase of 15 8C in the crystallization onset temperature (T co ) suggesting the nucleating effect of the filler, a feature also supported by structural investigations. Polarized microscopy revealed a reduction in the spherulite size after 5 wt % PCB waste loading owing to the presence of large number of nucleation sites. The incorporation of waste also increased the thermal stability of composites increasing the final degradation temperature by up to 14 8C. Dynamic mechanical properties of PP/ PCB waste composites were determined in the temperature range 220 to 155 8C; a significant increase in the storage modulus further confirmed the reinforcing effect of waste additives. This investigation has shown that the nonmetallic fraction of PCB waste could be used as a cost-effective reinforcing filler for PP, providing an environmental friendly route to utilize electronic waste in value-added products.

A Comprehensive Study on The Accelerated Weathering Properties of Polypropylene—Wood Composites with Non-Metallic Materials of Waste-Printed Circuit Board Powders

“…However, there is still a lack of efficient and widely used recycling technologies, and such waste is usually treated by illegal land-filling in some Asian counties (such as Vietnam and China) or incineration due to its complex compositions [6,7]. Extensive studies have evaluated the possibilities of using WPCBP as a reinforcing filler in polymer composites, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) [8,9], polypropylene (PP) [10,11], polyvinyl chloride (PVC) [12], polyester [13,14], polyethylene terephthalate (PET) [15], etc. The achievement of high value-added reutilization of WPCBP in polymeric products is an important global issue, and it has drawn great attention in recent years due to economic and environmental concerns [16].…”

Composites of Styrene-Butadiene Block-Copolymer Reinforced with Waste Printed Circuit Boards (WPCB)

“…Due to the thermo-rigidity of WPCB, the researches largely focused on the physical reuse of the non-metallic component as powder with a wide range of dimensions (nano-, micro-and millimeter), for bitumen additives, light concrete with antiphonal properties, obtaining reinforcing agents for polyolefins or as filler for adhesives and various building materials [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

A study on the thermodynamic changes in the mixture of polypropylene (PP) with varying contents of technological and post-user recyclates for sustainable nanocomposites

“…Recycling of such polymers is one of the best solution, however the resulting products exhibit materials with inferior properties compared to their pristine counterpart. PP and its recyclates are common components of wood-polymer composites WPC [17] [18] [19]. In polypropylene processing methods such as injection, extrusion and extrusion blow moldings, it is common to add up to 30 % of recyclates to the virgin matrix material [20].…”