Composites in a Circular Economy: A Study of United Kingdom and South Africa

Mativenga, Paul; Sultan, Al Amin Mohamed; Agwa-Ejon, J. F.; Mbohwa, Charles

doi:10.1016/j.procir.2016.11.270

Cited by 43 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Consequently, high recycling costs can outweigh any economic benefits. These issues should be overcome to include composites into the circular economy model (Mativenga et al, 2017). This is particularly true for glass fiber reinforced composites (GFRCs) because the required investment can exceed the intrinsic value of recovered products, thus, creating a barrier to the real industrial adoption of any recycling technologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remanufacturing of end-of-life glass-fiber reinforced composites via UV-assisted 3D printing

Mantelli

Levi

Turri

et al. 2019

RPJ

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the potential of three-dimensional printing technology for the remanufacturing of end-of-life (EoL) composites. This technology will enable the rapid fabrication of environmentally sustainable structures with complex shapes and good mechanical properties. These three-dimensional printed objects will have several application fields, such as street furniture and urban renewal, thus promoting a circular economy model. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, a low-cost liquid deposition modeling technology was used to extrude photo-curable and thermally curable composite inks, composed of an acrylate-based resin loaded with different amounts of mechanically recycled glass fiber reinforced composites (GFRCs). Rheological properties of the extruded inks and their printability window and the conversion of cured composites after an ultraviolet light (UV) assisted extrusion were investigated. In addition, tensile properties of composites remanufactured by this UV-assisted technology were studied. Findings A printability window was found for the three-dimensional printable GFRCs inks. The formulation of the composite printable inks was optimized to obtain high quality printed objects with a high content of recycled GFRCs. Tensile tests also showed promising mechanical properties for printed GFRCs obtained with this approach. Originality/value The novelty of this paper consists in the remanufacturing of GFRCs by the three-dimensional printing technology to promote the implementation of a circular economy. This study shows the feasibility of this approach, using mechanically recycled EoL GFRCs, composed of a thermoset polymer matrix, which cannot be melted as in case of thermoplastic-based composites. Objects with complex shapes were three-dimensional printed and presented here as a proof-of-concept.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remanufacturing of end-of-life glass-fiber reinforced composites via UV-assisted 3D printing

Mantelli

Levi

Turri

et al. 2019

RPJ

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“…There is a risk that without government support companies remain stuck in old growth centered narratives (Velenturf and Jopson 2019), but with the current business support that is on offer, that risk may be equally high. In this way companies are being guided to continue to work from the narrow basis of the cost reductions offered by increased recycling and to motivate themselves and investors based on economic returns on investment (Mativenga et al 2017), rather than delivering social, environmental and economic benefits in an integrated, sustainable manner (Velenturf and Jopson 2019).…”

Section: Open Investigation Into the Motivations Of Companies To Explmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Call to Integrate Economic, Social and Environmental Motives into Guidance for Business Support for the Transition to a Circular Economy

Velenturf

Jensen

Purnell

et al. 2019

Administrative Sciences

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A broad range of organizations, from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multi-nationals, are interested in adopting circular economy practices. A circular economy can help companies make better use of materials by minimizing the input of natural resources, reducing waste, and optimizing the economic, social, technical and environmental costs and benefits of materials and products throughout their lifecycle. Despite the interest of companies in a circular economy, only 9% of material flows in the global economy are circular. There is formal guidance for those offering business support with the aim to expedite the transition to a circular economy. However, support measures narrowly confine the role of companies and the motivations of business managers to the economic realms, assuming that companies are solely driven by monetary factors. Conversely, pluralist economic views emphasize the broader role of companies in society: for example, in respect of the well-being of their staff and the communities in which they reside. Indeed, our practical experiences of business support have brought alternative motivations to explore a circular economy to the fore. We argue that business support should stem from a broader conception of the role of business in society. The diverse motivations and willingness of business managers to engage in a circular economy should be investigated further with results feeding into broader and more inclusive business support guidelines in the future to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.

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“…However fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites add another dimension [3]. • Incineration -recovering some embodied energy in the form of heat, with residues going to land-fill [28,29] • Thermal and chemical recycling (solvolysis, pyrolysis) and recovery of reinforcing fibres [29,30,31] • Mechanical recycling -size reduction to produce a fibrous or powder product for re-use [29,32] Mativenga et al [26] discuss the drivers, sustainers, barriers and volumes of composite waste applicable to recycling of composite waste in the UK and South…”

Section: Recycling Of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Compositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently the technology exists to recycle plastics (thermoplastic waste and thermoset composite waste) to some degree, and recover resources from the waste (materials and/or energy) [1,3,42]. However, recycling rates for these materials remain low [26,43,44] and, in the short term, legislation appears to be the solution to encouraging industries to increase recycling rates [1,41].…”

Section: The Future For Plastics Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology advancing polymers and polymer composites towards sustainability: A review

Ayre

2018

Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry

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It is reported that plastic waste is accumulating in the oceans at an alarming rate. A significant proportion of this waste is plastic packaging materials, even though recycling routes and options are available to retain and reuse this oil-based resource. In addition to thermoplastic materials, fibre reinforced polymer materials are finding increased use and soon will become a concern with respect to disposal. This review presents current research and technology that aims to embrace plastics and polymer composites into a circular economy. The benefits and challenges associated with polymer recycling are highlighted, not least being the strategies required to encourage industry and society to recycle resources rather than dispose and renew.

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Composites in a Circular Economy: A Study of United Kingdom and South Africa

Cited by 43 publications

References 6 publications

Remanufacturing of end-of-life glass-fiber reinforced composites via UV-assisted 3D printing

Remanufacturing of end-of-life glass-fiber reinforced composites via UV-assisted 3D printing

A Call to Integrate Economic, Social and Environmental Motives into Guidance for Business Support for the Transition to a Circular Economy

Technology advancing polymers and polymer composites towards sustainability: A review

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