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Post-Consumer Plastics Recycling
Published in Robert E. Landreth, Paul A. Rebers, Municipal Solid Wastes, 2020
Plastic lumber has a number of properties that make it superior to traditional lumber such as its resistance to damage from weather, insects, and vandalism. But, it also costs more and its advantage must be sold in the basis of cost effectiveness. The Center for Plastics Recycling Research at Rutgers University, NJ has performed research on the effect of adding various percentages of PS to plastics tailings (left after the removal of clear HDPE and PET bottles) in the compressive strength of the resulting plastic.6 Compressive and yield strength increased approximately 15 and 20%, respectively, for each 10% addition of PS up to a 50% addition. Above 35% PS, the modulus of elasticity decreased slightly and reached a limit of about 220,000 psi. Table 2.18 shows the overall outcome of this research by Nosker, Renfree, and Morrow.30
Plastics
Published in Arthur Lyons, Materials for Architects and Builders, 2019
Mixed domestic plastic waste is cut up into small flakes, melted at 200°C into a grey viscous liquid and cast into moulds to produce structural components. The product, polywood, has been used to create a 7.5 m span lightweight bridge with a capacity of 30 tonnes in the United States. Recycled plastic was used to construct the I-beams and other structural sections. Recycled plastic lumber has the advantage over timber in that it requires no maintenance or treatment with noxious chemicals and its use reduces the demand on landfill sites. Polywood is light, although more dense than timber; however, it suffers from creep. Also, it has greater thermal movement and lower stiffness (modulus of elasticity) than timber. Polywood has been used for fencing, garden furniture and various marine applications. One UK product incorporating 90% thermoplastic recycled material is extruded into wood-coloured profiles for cladding, decking, windows, doors, conservatories, sheds and similar products normally associated with timber. Plastic grids for stabilising car parking areas are manufactured from 100% recycled UV stable polymer.
Solid Waste Source Reduction and Recycling
Published in Charles R. Rhyner, Leander J. Schwartz, Robert B. Wenger, Mary G. Kohrell, Waste Management and Resource Recovery, 2017
Charles R. Rhyner, Leander J. Schwartz, Robert B. Wenger, Mary G. Kohrell
Plastic lumber is similar to regular wood lumber in that it can be sawed, nailed, and worked in other ways similar to regular lumber. However, plastic lumber has a number of characteristics that make it superior to wood. One of its positive characteristics is its resistance to weather, water, and insect damage. It also requires little maintenance. The primary negative feature of plastic lumber is its cost, which is usually two to two and a half times that of wood. Another deterrence to the use of plastic lumber has been a lack of performance standards. A process to develop standards was initiated in the early 1990s. The most popular uses of plastic lumber are park benches, sign posts, speed bumps, docks, fencing, and landscaping products.
Potential adverse health effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics on humans. Lessons learned from in vivo and in vitro mammalian models
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2020
Laura Rubio, Ricard Marcos, Alba Hernández
Different synthetic polymers are used in the constitution of plastics, depending upon their intended use. Among these, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is employed in packaging materials, and by far is the major component of terrestrial plastic litter in form of plastic bags and sheets (Barnes et al. 2009). High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is utilized among other applications for corrosion-resistant piping, geomembranes, and plastic lumber, while polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used overall in plastic bottles (Bouwmeester, Hollman, and Peters 2015). Altogether, polyethylene is the most produced polymer comprising more than 40% of the total plastics produced (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). Other polymers commonly employed include polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyactide (PLA) (Andrady and Neal 2009).
Effects of copolymers on rheological and performance of binders and stone matrix asphalt mixtures
Published in International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2022
Rezvan Babagoli, Alireza Ameli, Somayeh Asadi
As mentioned before, the storage stability and rutting resistance of asphalt binder containing SBR in hot weather and high traffic volume roads are poor. Literature indicates that researchers generally have shown the positive effects of NHDPE on rutting resistance of asphalt binders or asphalt concrete mixtures. However, the performance of asphalt binder containing the composition of the two aforementioned additives has not been studied. Also, many studies have been done on the application of polymer in asphalt, no polymer has ever been able to solve the problems of asphalt mixes (Shenjinan 1999, Gonzalez et al. 2002, Perez-Lepe et al. 2003) completely. In addition, the high prices of some polymers and some of their limitations are other factors that have led to research on alternatives such as polymer blends. The purpose of current research is to investigate the effect of cheap waste polymer (NHDPE). This kind of nano material can be derived from transforming high-density polyethylene to nano size. The HDPE is a kind of waste material that can be derived from the production of plastic bottles and geomembranes, or it can be recycled waste bottles, plastic lumber, and corrosion-resistant piping. This research investigates the utilisation of a combination of NHDPE and SBR on the performance of binder and mixture. The primary purpose of the current study is to examine the feasibility of the modification of binder with NHDPE and the effect of the combination of NHDPE and SBR on the properties of bitumen and asphalt mixture samples. The conversion of HDPE to nano-size material can lead to improving the performance of the binder and mixture. Therefore, in the current research, the influence of NHDPE on the mechanical properties of binder and asphalt mixture was investigated.