Glass-reinforced plastic waste makes new products
The GROWTH Programme funds projects that aim to improve the competitiveness of European business. One such project, called PLASTIC-RECYPALLET, looked to increase the use of recycled materials in the plastics industry. Glass-Reinforced Plastic (GRP) combines the advantages of glass fibre and plastic to create a product with superior strength characteristics. Plásticos Yusa, the company responsible for coordinating PLASTIC-RECYPALLET, developed a manufacturing process to produce new composites from recycled GRP waste. In order to carefully grind the GRP fibres without damaging their properties, Plásticos Yusa employed a modular intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder. This, in combination with a special screw configuration, helps avoid fibre breakage and enables an even fibre distribution during the melting phase. The resulting material was used during PLASTIC-RECYPALLET to make a pallet, but it could be used in a wide variety of products. Plásticos Yusa and Eryplast are seeking patent protection for the new composite. They do caution that its material properties depend on maintaining a consistent quality of the GRP waste used in the process. Their future plans also include extending the methodology to incorporate waste from natural fibre products.
