Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Recyclable Composites Prepared from Bio-Olefins and Industrial Waste

Abstract

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) production consumes tremendous amounts of fresh water and energy and releases vast quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. Not only would an alternative to OPC whose production requires no water, releases little CO2, and consumes less energy represent a transformative advance in the pursuit of industrial decarbonization, but the greater availability of safe drinking water would lead to significantly improved public health, particularly among vulnerable populations most at risk from contaminated water supply. For any OPC alternative to be adopted on any meaningful scale, however, its structural capabilities must meet or exceed those of OPC. An inverse vulcanization of brown grease, sunflower oil, and elemental sulfur (5:5:90 weight ratio) was successfully modified to afford the high-sulfur-content material SunBG90 in quantities > 1 kg, as was necessary for standardized ASTM and ISO testing. Water absorption (ASTM C140) and thermal conductivity (ISO 8302) values for SunBG90 (<1 wt% and 0.126 W·m−1·K−1, respectively) were 84% and 94% lower than those for OPC, respectively, suggesting that SunBG90 would be more resistant against freeze-thaw and thermal stress damage than OPC. Consequently, not only does SunBG90 represent a more environmentally friendly material than OPC, but its superior thermomechanical properties suggest that it could be a more environmentally robust material on its own merits, particularly for outdoor structural applications involving significant exposure to water and seasonal or day/night temperature swings.

Composites produced from waste plastic with agricultural and energy sector by‐products

“…Samples that were remelted several (at least six) times (at 160°C) exhibited properties identical to those made by remelting the initial reaction products, emphasizing the facile thermal recyclability of the materials. Similar recyclability without diminishing mechanical strength has been reported for several other HSMs comprising ≥80 wt% sulfur 61–64 …”

“…Similar recyclability without diminishing mechanical strength has been reported for several other HSMs comprising ≥80 wt % sulfur. [61][62][63][64] SEM with elemental mapping by energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) showed that GBS 80 and GBS 90 had uniform distributions of carbon, oxygen, and sulfur (Figure 6) and provided evidence of the successful homogenization of the PGB comonomer during the inverse vulcanization reaction.…”

Transesterification‐vulcanization route to durable composites from post‐consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate), terpenoids, and industrial waste sulfur

“…Traditional materials such as the bricks and mineralbased tiles discussed above significantly deteriorate due to water absorption or exposure to acidic condition, whereas previous HSMs have shown remarkable resistance to water absorption or mechanical strength degradation after exposure to acid. 97,98 CPS and GPS were likewise found to exhibit <1 wt% water uptake after soaking in water for 24 h (compared to up to 28% for mineral products like Portland cement). CPS and GPS were also evaluated for resistance to acid degradation by submerging the materials in 0.5 M sulfuric acid for 24 h. After this exposure, CPS retained 64% and GPS retained 80% of their compressive strengths.…”

One‐pot method for upcycling polycarbonate waste to yield high‐strength, BPA‐free composites

“…Cylinders appropriate for compressive strength analysis (Figure 1) were prepared by filling a silicone mold with finely powdered composite and heating the material in the mold in a 160 C oven for 2 h. Once shaped, the samples were allowed to sit at room temperature in the dark for 96 h before testing, following the procedure used for most other HSMs for which compressive strength data are reported. 26,[42][43][44] The compressive strength of SPC 90 was 12.8 ± 1.6 MPa (Table 2; stress-strain plots provided in Figure S5). Whereas SPC 90 exhibits a lower compressive strength (12.8 MPa) than SPG (23.1 MPa) 26 or BC 90 (22.5 MPa), 28 the compressive strength of SPC 90 is competitive with common commercial structural materials like bricks (classification C62) used in retaining walls and other non-load bearing applications.…”