Original ennobling recycling process of GFRP waste to re-produce GFRP replacing energy-intensive construction elements

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Products made from glass-fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) are a class of composite building material consisting of a glass-fibre reinforcement encased in a polymer. The solid waste generated by the GFRP manufacturing process consists of cured polymer resin and scrap fibre reinforcement material (glass). Recycling this waste is problematic and an integrated recycling system for GFRP (i.e. able to recycle the waste in the same manufacturing cycle) is needed to ensure that the quality of recovered fibre and filler is sufficient for reuse.

OBJECTIVES

The project will show how GFRP waste can be processed to create fireproof, sound absorbing, insulating, anti-shock and easy to clean panels to be used in sustainable buildings. The panels will be easily removable and reusable – they will be “designed for deconstruction”, thus contributing to reductions in emissions and energy consumption from the adaptation and demolition of buildings. The panels will also offer improved building thermal insulation, and therefore reduced energy consumption for heating and cooling.

Expected results:

Establishment of a demonstration line that will process about 100 tonnes/year of GFRP waste and convert it into panels for schools and public buildings. The panels will be 4 to 30 mm thick, will consist of ground GFRP waste of up to 25% by weight, will have low thermal conductivity, will have a surface appearance similar to natural material (such as leather, wood or cork), and will be completely recyclable;

Creation of a geographical database indicating potential neighbouring sources of GFRP waste and the amount of waste available per year;

An assessment of the GFRP panels in terms of their anti-shock, sound-insulating and cleaning properties, and their ease of installation and dismantling;

A reduction of at least 15% in CO2 emissions resulting from the heating and cooling of rooms built from the GFRP panels.