A case study undertaken recycling & reuse of glass fiber reinforced thermoset polumer wastes of composite materials industry

Glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP) have been considered inherently difficult to recycle due to both: crosslinked nature of thermoset resins, which cannot be remoulded, and complex composition of the composite itself. Presently, most of the GFRP waste is landfilled leading to negative environmental impacts and supplementary added costs. With an increasing awareness of environmental matters and the subsequent desire to save resources, recycling would convert an expensive waste disposal into a profitable reusable material. In this study, efforts were made in order to recycle grinded GFRP waste, proceeding from pultrusion production scrap, into new and sustainable composite materials. For this purpose, GFRP waste recyclates, were incorporated into polyester based mortars as fine aggregate and filler replacements at different load contents and particle size distributions. Potential recycling solution was assessed by mechanical behaviour of resultant GFRP waste modified polymer mortars. Results revealed that GFRP waste filled polymer mortars present improved flexural and compressive behaviour over unmodified polyester based mortars, thus indicating the feasibility of the GFRP industrial waste reuse into concrete-polymer composite materials

Sustainability Improvement of a composite materials’ industry through recycling and re-engineering process approaches

Recent Advances in Mechanics and Materials in DesignThis case study was aimed at measuring and assessing the potential improvements that could be made on the eco-efficiency performance of a composite materials’ industry, specifically a glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) pultrusion manufacturing company. For this purpose, all the issues involved in the pultrusion process of GFRP profiles were analysed, the current ecoefficiency performance of the company was determined, all the procedures applied in the production process were revised, and improvement strategies were planned and investigated with basis on the performed analysis. The new eco-efficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures through re-engineering the manufacturing process and recycling approaches. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles

Methodology for exposure and risk assessment in complex environmental pollution situations

Frequently environmental pollution results from different hazardous substances released in the environment, meaning that contaminated sites may have many different chemical sources and transport pathways. Problems concerning environmental pollution affect mainly physical, chemical and biological properties of air, water and soil. The relationships between the sources, exposure and effects of contaminants to human and ecological receptors are complex and many times are specific to a particular site, to certain environmental conditions and to a particular receptor. Often the methodology for exposure and risk assessment to environmental pollution is translated into sets of assessment questions. These questions are used to meet the needs of assessment, particular important in focusing the assessment during the problem formulation. Risk assessments vary widely in scope and application. Some look at single risks in a range of exposure scenarios, others are site-specific and look at the range of risks posed by a facility. In general, risk assessments are carried out to examine the effects of an agent on humans (Health Risk Assessment) and ecosystems (Ecological Risk Assessment). Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is the examination of risks resulting from technology that threaten ecosystems, animals and people. It includes human health risk assessments, ecological risk assessments and specific industrial applications of risk assessment that analyze identified end-points in people, biota or ecosystems

A case study on the eco-efficiency performance of a composite processing industry: evaluation and quantification of potential improvements

In this study, an attempt was made in order to measure and evaluate the eco-efficiency performance of a pultruded composite processing company. For this purpose the recommendations of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WCSD) and the directives of ISO 14301 standard were followed and applied. The main general indicators of eco-efficiency, as well as the specific indicators, were defined and determined. With basis on indicators’ figures, the value profile, the environmental profile, and the pertinent eco-efficiency ratios were established and analyzed. In order to evaluate potential improvements on company eco-performance, new indicators values and eco-efficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures, at both upstream and downstream of the production process, namely: i) Adoption of a new heating system for pultrusion die-tool in the manufacturing process, more effective and with minor heat losses; ii) Recycling approach, with partial waste reuse of scrap material derived from manufacturing, cutting and assembly processes of GFRP profiles. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios of the present case study, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles

Experimental study on polyester based concretes filled with glass fibre reinforced plastic recyclates – a contribution to composite materials sustainability

The development and applications of thermoset polymeric composites, namely fibre reinforced plastics (FRP), have shifted in the last decades more and more into the mass market [1]. Despite of all advantages associated to FRP based products, the increasing production and consume also lead to an increasing amount of FRP wastes, either end-of-lifecycle products, or scrap and by-products generated by the manufacturing process itself. Whereas thermoplastic FRPs can be easily recycled, by remelting and remoulding, recyclability of thermosetting FRPs constitutes a more difficult task due to cross-linked nature of resin matrix. To date, most of the thermoset based FRP waste is being incinerated or landfilled, leading to negative environmental impacts and supplementary added costs to FRP producers and suppliers. This actual framework is putting increasing pressure on the industry to address the options available for FRP waste management, being an important driver for applied research undertaken cost efficient recycling methods. [1-2]. In spite of this, research on recycling solutions for thermoset composites is still at an elementary stage. Thermal and/or chemical recycling processes, with partial fibre recovering, have been investigated mostly for carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) due to inherent value of carbon fibre reinforcement; whereas for glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP), mechanical recycling, by means of milling and grinding processes, has been considered a more viable recycling method [1-2]. Though, at the moment, few solutions in the reuse of mechanically-recycled GFRP composites into valueadded products are being explored. Aiming filling this gap, in this study, a new waste management solution for thermoset GFRP based products was assessed. The mechanical recycling approach, with reduction of GFRP waste to powdered and fibrous materials was applied, and the potential added value of obtained recyclates was experimentally investigated as raw material for polyester based mortars. The use of a cementless concrete as host material for GFRP recyclates, instead of a conventional Portland cement based concrete, presents an important asset in avoiding the eventual incompatibility problems arisen from alkalis silica reaction between glass fibres and cementious binder matrix. Additionally, due to hermetic nature of resin binder, polymer based concretes present greater ability for incorporating recycled waste products [3]. Under this scope, different GFRP waste admixed polymer mortar (PM) formulations were analyzed varying the size grading and content of GFRP powder and fibre mix waste. Added value of potential recycling solution was assessed by means of flexural and compressive loading capacities of modified mortars with regard to waste-free polymer mortars

On the recyclability of glass fiber reinforced thermoset polymeric composites towards the sustainability of polymers' industry

Considering the added value of recycling solution assessed by an evaluation of flexural and compressive loading capacity of PC specimens modified with mechanically recycled GFRP wastes, as well as the inherent environmental and economic benefits, the incorporation of GFRP recyclates into PC materials has been revealed as a viable technological option for the sustainability of the GFRP polymers’ industry. Nevertheless, the recyclability of composite materials is complex and is sometimes seen as a key barrier to the adoption of these materials in some markets. One of the few successful applications, was developed by Reprocover, in Belgium, and it has been commercialized since 2011. In addition, the recently investigation line that was started and concerning the GFRP recyclates into PC materials also called the attention of Global Fiberglass SolutionsTM group. Even so, and although all the efforts that had been done on developing cost-effective recycling routes, GFRP wastes still remain mired by the scarceness of reliable outlet markets for the recyclates and clearly developed recycling paths between waste producers and potential consumers for the recyclates. However, it is foreseen that this scenario will change in the next few years as strong investments are being made in this field. The innovation in this field has just started, providing as this way a source of new opportunities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recycling Approach towards Sustainability Advance of Composite Materials’ Industry

Worldwide volume production and consumption of engineered composite materials, namely fiber reinforced polymers (FRP), have increased in the last decades, mostly in the construction, automobile, aeronautic and wind energy sectors. This rising production and consumption have also led to an increasing amount of FRP waste, either end-of-life (EoL) products or manufacturing rejects. Taking into account the actual and impending EU framework on waste management, in which clear targets are set with concrete measures to ensure effective implementation, landfill and incineration will be progressively unavailable as traditional end-routes for this kind of waste. Recycling techniques and end-use applications for the recyclates have been investigated over the past twenty years, but even so, more cost-effective and feasible market outlets for the recyclates should be identified that meet both the economic and the environmental points of view. This paper is aimed at enclosing and summarizing an update overview regarding all these issues: current legislation, recycling techniques and end-use applications for the recyclates. Additionally, as a case study, the assessment of the potential improvements that could be made on the eco-efficiency performance (sustainability) of a typical FRP composite materials’ industry by recycling and re-engineering process approaches is also reported.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio