Determination of Mass Loss in Samples of Post-Regeneration Dust from Moulding Sands with and without PCL Subjected to Biodegradation Processes in a Water Environment

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for products made of biodegradable or partially biodegradable materials has been increasing. This is mainly due to the ever-increasing amount of waste in landfills, but also to the problem of post-production waste management. This problem also concerns waste from the casting process of sands made on the basis of furfuryl resin, as well as residues from the regeneration process of these sands. The article presents the issues related to the methodology of research on the biodegradation process both in the natural environment and methods conducted in laboratory conditions. The preliminary results of the research on the biodegradation process in the aquatic environment, to which the dusts from mechanical regeneration of moulding sand were subjected, indicate the directions of further research and work in the field of selection of components of moulding sand with biodegradable properties. These tests should be carried out primarily in terms of determining the minimum and maximum amount of the addition of a biodegradable component to the moulding sand.

Archives of Civil Engineering

“…W ramach pracy zbadano wpływ biomateriału (PCL) jako składnika masy formierskiej na jakość otrzymanego regeneratu. Przeprowadzono regenerację mechaniczną zużytych mas formierskich Wcześniejsze badania autorów [26] wykazały, że masa formierska z dodatkiem biomateriału (PCL) wprowadzonego na etapie procesu produkcyjnego charakteryzuje się około trzykrotnie lepszą biodegradowalnością niż ta sama masa bez dodatku. Stopień biodegradacji układów określono w wodzie z rzeki Wisła.…”

“…1. Percentage loss of weight and residue materials of samples after completion of the biodegradation process [26] with slight weight loss after the biodegradation process (3%). Larger weight loss was noted for dust samples after the regeneration process of moulding sands with biomaterial (samples MS 2).…”

“…In the previous research [26], the residues of the binding material in the form of postregeneration dust were subjected to biodegradability tests. 8 samples of post-regeneration dust from moulding sand without additive and from moulding sand with biomaterial were tested.…”

“…Biodegradation studies were carried out in the natural environment, which was water from the Vistula River (inoculum). Figure 1 shows the percentage weight loss determined after the biodegradation process [26].…”

Effect of the Biodegradable Component Addition to the Molding Sand on the Microstructure and Properties of Ductile Iron Castings

“…Furthermore, in one molding sand, the addition of biodegradable material to the binder was used in order to accelerate the process of biodegradation of the binder waste remaining after the casting process. The authors' earlier studies proved an increased biodegradability of post-production residues of the binding material in the case of using a new two-component binder in relation to the analogous molding sand without the additive [2]. This approach to the issue of improving the ecology of the process is particularly important in the case of large-size castings production, where the amount of waste binding material is large.…”