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. 2021 Apr 25;14(9):2203.
doi: 10.3390/ma14092203.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Epoxy Mortars Made with Polyethylene and Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Waste

Bernardeta Dębska  1 , Guilherme Jorge Brigolini Silva  2
Affiliations

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Epoxy Mortars Made with Polyethylene and Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Waste

Bernardeta Dębska et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

The article describes the results of a study to determine the simultaneous effect of polyethylene terephthalate waste (PET) and polyethylene (PE) on the strength characteristics and bulk density of epoxy mortars. In these mortars, 9 wt.% of the polymer binder was replaced by glycolysate which was made from PET waste and propylene glycol. Additionally, 0-10 vol.% of the aggregate was substituted with PE agglomerate made from plastic bags waste, respectively. The modification of the composition of epoxy mortar has a special environmental and economic aspect. It also allows to protect natural sources of the aggregate, while reducing the amount of waste and reducing problems arising from the need to store them. The resulting composite has very good strength properties. With the substitution of 9 wt.% of resin and 5 vol.% of sand, a flexural strength of 35.7 MPa and a compressive strength of 101.1 MPa was obtained. The results of the microstructure study of the obtained mortars constitute a significant part of the paper.

Keywords: PE waste; PET waste; composite microstructure; design of experiment; epoxy resin; profiles of approximated.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 18
Figure 18
Three-dimensional (a) and contour (b) plot of total utility.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Plastic waste in the world (2015 production): (a) by polymer type, (b) by sectors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Glycolisate based on waste PET.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PE agglomerate: (a) before the selection into fractions, (b) 1 mm fraction, (c) 0.25 mm fraction.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sand grain size distribution curve.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM images of waste PE at 50× (a), 200× (b), and 1000× (c) magnifications.
Figure 6
Figure 6
XRD of the PE waste and quartz sand.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The compilation of the mean values of the flexural strength at different points of the experimental plan.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Backscattered electron (BSE) and Secondary electron (SE) images of mortar samples marked in the experiment plan as: 1 (BSE—(a), SE—(b)), 10 (BSE—(c,e) ; SE—(d,f)), PE—polyethylene waste, S—quartz sand.
Figure 9
Figure 9
SEM-SE micrographs of the Composition 5—PE: PE waste.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Load vs. displacement curves for flexural strength.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Displacement at ultimate flexural strength depending on the PE waste content, designated at experiment plan points numbered 1, 6, and 10.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Three-dimensional (a) and contour (b) plot of the response surface for flexural strength.
Figure 13
Figure 13
The compilation of the mean compressive strength values for the samples corresponding to each point of the experimental plan.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Three-dimensional (a) and contour (b) plot of the response surface for compressive strength.
Figure 15
Figure 15
The compilation of mean volumetric density values calculated for each point of the experimental plan.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Three-dimensional (a) and contour (b) plot of response surface for bulk density.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Profiles of approximated values and utility for the method of general function optimization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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