The recyclability of materials is a key issue related to the use of polymers in the automotive and electronic industries, among others. The multiple thermal and mechanical operations used in recycling can cause severe damage to the molecular architecture and microstructure of polymers that frequently leads to a reduction in their mechanical properties, which restricts their recyclability. In this work, nanocomponents (whiskers) derived from chitin were surface‐modified by grafting different molar masses of methoxylated poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG). The modified chitin whiskers were then incorporated into reprocessed ABS (acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) to yield nanocomposites with 0.5% (mass/mass) whiskers. The obtained whiskers and nanocomposites were investigated using techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The properties of the nanocomposites were also investigated using tensile tests and dynamic mechanical tests. The results show that the surface‐modified chitin whiskers with high molar mass mPEG grafts increased the strength, elongation at break, and stiffness of the reprocessed ABS over virgin and reprocessed ABS and reprocessed ABS nanocomposites with unmodified whiskers. This indicates that the use of surface‐modified chitin whiskers can be valuable in improving the mechanical properties of recycled polymers and, consequently, enhancing their recyclability. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42463.

With the growth of the construction market, it is necessary to develop new products. Taking this into account, this article proposes a study using recycled plastic in the development of porous floors for civil construction. The intention is to reduce the volume of this solid waste in the city and in the landfill, in addition to using less natural resources, such as wood and steel. For the development of the work, plastic bottles were used pets, in addition, the materials developed were tested in the laboratory, in which the necessary criteria were raised for eventual approval of the same. The results show that 99.5% of the water passes through the material developed, which is a very satisfactory result. The results achieved with respect to abrasion resistance, limpability, chemical resistance to attack and surface appearance were equally favorable. Therefore, it was observed that the material developed is suitable for use in the function of porous floors, besides contributing to the reduction of plastic waste in the city, to allocate this waste and to use less natural resources. These results prove that the product would be adequate to aid in urban drainage, since it would contribute to the surface runoff, and would also reduce the volume of solid waste.