Upgrading Mixed Plastic Waste through Industrial Symbiosis: Pseudoductile Regenerated Cellulose Fiber-Reinforced Shredder Residue Composites

Abstract

The mechanical performance of mixed plastic waste from shredder residue is hindered by brittleness and catastrophic failure, limiting its potential applications. In this study, the mechanical properties of mixed plastic is enhanced by reinforcement with rayon fibers through a wet powder impregnation process to leverage the fiber's ductility and entanglement. However, mixed plastic remains poorly dispersed in water during the composite manufacturing, resulting in poorly consolidated composite, which further deteriorates the mechanical properties of mixed plastic from 1.5% strain-at-break to 0.7%. To address this issue, the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant is explored, where the optimal concentration is found beyond the critical micelle concentration at 10 mM. Lowering the surface tension of water and the adsorption of the SDS on the mixed plastic powder surface facilitated homogeneous dispersion of mixed plastic particles, resulting in well-consolidated rayon fiber-reinforced composites. The 30 wt % rayon fiber-reinforced mixed plastic composite prepared with SDS demonstrated a progressive failure behavior, exhibiting a strain-at-break of 8% and a remarkable 350% increase in impact strength compared to unreinforced mixed plastic. This approach provides a platform to overcome the inherent limitations of mixed plastic waste, offering waste-derived plastic alternatives and reducing the need for fossil-derived virgin materials for a wide range of noncritical applications.