Sustainable waste recycling solution for the glass fibre reinforced polymer composite materials industry

Abstract

In this paper the adequacy and the benefit of incorporating glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste materials into polyester based mortars, as sand aggregates and filler replacements, are assessed. Different weight contents of mechanically recycled GFRP wastes with two particle size grades are included in the formulation of new materials. In all formulations, a polyester resin matrix was modified with a silane couplin g agent in order to improve binder-aggregates interfaces. The added value of the recycling solu-tion was assessed by means of both flexural and compressive strengths of GFRP admixed mortars with regard to those of the unmodified polymer mortars. Planning of experiments and data treatment were perfor med by means of full factorial design and through appropriate statistical tools based on analyses of variance (ANOVA).Results show that the partial replacement of sand aggregates by either type of GFRP recyclates improves the mechanical perfor mance of resultant polymer mortars. In the case of trial formulations modified with the coarser waste mix, the best results are achieved with 8% waste weight content, while for fine waste based polymer mortars, 4% in weight of waste content leads to the higher increases on mechanical strength s.This study clearly identifies a promising waste management solution for GFRP waste materials by developing a cost-effective end-use application for the recyclates, thus contributing to a more sustainable fibre-reinforced polymer composites industry.

Recycling Approach towards Sustainability Advance of Composite Materials’ Industry

“…The previous and impending experimental works carried out by the present research team have already demonstrated that GFRP recyclates can be successfully incorporated into PC materials as reinforcement and partial replacement of aggregate components, leading to both flexural and compressive strength increase of modified concrete materials [25,26,[44][45][46][47]. The main outcomes of these studies show that the upcycling of GFRP waste is possible resulting in added value PC products.…”

“…Recently, some experiments were also carried out undertaking the incorporation of GFRP recyclates into polymer concretes (PC) and polymer mortars (PM) [25,26,[44][45][46][47]. The effect of different replacement ratios of sand aggregates by both fine and coarse GFRP waste fractions on final mechanical properties of polyester based PM was assessed, as well as the effect of the incorporation of silane coupling agents.…”

A Novel Polymer Concrete Composite with GFRP Waste: Applications, Morphology, and Porosity Characterization

“…The values are arranged in size from largest to smallest. The most frequently occurring closed pores detected have a volume of around 0.01-0.02 mm 3 . Similar pore volume distributions were detected across all samples.…”

“…possible recycling solutions regarding waste management of composite based products. At present, the main conventional recycling techniques for glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste materials include incineration, thermal or chemical recycling, and mechanical recycling [1][2][3]. Mechanical recycling through grinding and milling processes is one of the most used techniques; additionally, due to the size reduction of the fibrous products, the recycling process itself does not contribute to atmospheric pollution and much simpler equipment is required as compared to other methods.…”

Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Aircraft Interior Panels Made from Renewable or Recyclable Polymers with Natural Fiber Reinforcements and Non‐Halogenated Flame Retardants

“…Several promising applications for fiber reinforced polymer wastes were investigated over the last years (a complete review can be found in Meira Castro et al. []), for example, filler or reinforcement material for artificial wood.…”