Recycling of Reinforced Glass Fibers Waste: Current Status
Abstract
:1. Introduction
The Need to Recycle: Market Size and Motivations
2. Management of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymers Waste
3. Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Recycling Processes
3.1. Mechanical Recycling
3.2. Thermal Processes
3.2.1. Combustion
3.2.2. Pyrolysis
3.2.3. Fluidized Bed
3.3. Chemical Recycling
3.4. Energy Demand and Economic Viability of Composite Recycling Methods
4. Recycled Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
- Palmer et al. [60] studied the feasibility of replacing virgin fibers with mechanical rGFRP in DMC compounds. With only 10% (in weight) replacement, there was a reduction in the flexural strength of only 8%, compared to the virgin fibers.
- Pickering et al. [51] studied the substitution of rGFRP SMC panels into a DMC with no significant change in the flexural or impact properties of samples up to 50% recycled material.
- Gonçalves et al. [36] incorporated mechanical rGFRP into gypsum. This resulted in an increase in the ultimate flexural strength, compared to plain gypsum, of 30%, with the presence of plastic deformation, previously nonexistent.
- Rahimizadeh et al. [40] used rGFRP from wind blades for reinforcement for fused filament fabrication. The results demonstrated an improvement of approximately 16% in the elastic modulus and an increase in the ultimate flexural strength of 10%, compared to commercially pure PLA filament.
- Mastali et al. [63] incorporated rGFRP into self-compacting concrete. Using 1.25% (in volume), the following results were observed: 48% increase in the compressive strength, 59% increase in the ultimate flexural strength, and 38% increase in the ultimate crack resistance.
- Beauson et al. [39] incorporated mechanical rGFRP into the production of chopped stand mats (CSMs), a polyester resin composite. The results showed a significant reduction in strain at which failure occurred, from 1.2% to 1.8% reported in the CSM literature, to 0.3–0.6%.
- Ribeiro et al. [1,64] have successfully shredded leftovers from the pultrusion profile manufacturing process and studied the effect of incorporating the granulates into polymer mortars on the flexural and compressive strengths, which resulted in an increase in both properties by 13% and 16%, respectively.
Alternatives to Recycling Processes
5. Future Perspectives
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Recycling Method | Description | Advantages/Disadvantages | Challenges | Status of the Technology | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mechanical | Downsize of material waste into smaller fractions with milling or grinding machines | + Cost-effective + Low environmental impact + On-site processing − Decrease in fiber mechanical properties − Low market value | Energy evaluation of the process has not been properly addressed Only short fibers and fillers can be recovered | Commercial operations ongoing | [1,4,38,39,40] |
Combustion | Integration of the material through co-processing within other materials | + Highly efficient + Can process large volumes of material + Reduced emissions of cement manufacturing process − No material recovery − Potentially hazardous dust | Increasing gate fees may compromise this route | [11,14,27,41,42] | |
Chemical | Dissolution of the composite matrix with use of solvents like water, alcohols, or acids | + Fibers can be recovered with high strength retention + Monomers can be recovered − High energy consumption − Environmentally hazardous | Sizing selection required Scalability development Inherent emissions of the process | Only laboratory-scale Hindered by the fiber market value | [11,26,36,43,44] |
Pyrolysis | Decomposition of the materials organic part in an inert high temperature atmosphere | + Recovered gas or oil can be used as energy for self-sustainability of the process + Low CO2 emissions − Fibers with char contamination promote further strength loss upon removal − Long processing time − Only feasible for large quantities | [17,43,45,46,47,48] | ||
Fluidized bed | Hot stream of air is used to decompose the matrix in a silica sand bad, leaving fillers and fibers embedded | + Contaminated materials can be processed without preprocessing + Recovery of energy or potential precursor chemicals − Higher degradation of the fibers than solvolysis or pyrolysis | [17,42,49,50,51] |
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Gonçalves, R.M.; Martinho, A.; Oliveira, J.P. Recycling of Reinforced Glass Fibers Waste: Current Status. Materials 2022, 15, 1596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041596
Gonçalves RM, Martinho A, Oliveira JP. Recycling of Reinforced Glass Fibers Waste: Current Status. Materials. 2022; 15(4):1596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041596
Chicago/Turabian StyleGonçalves, R. M., Alberto Martinho, and J. P. Oliveira. 2022. "Recycling of Reinforced Glass Fibers Waste: Current Status" Materials 15, no. 4: 1596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041596