The Use of Different Fractions of Waste Thermosets for Ther-moplastic Composites

The use of recycled polymer materials with a low carbon footprint, which enable a circular economy, is becoming increasingly interesting for commercial use in the world. The main reasons for this are the accumulation of waste after the use of polymer products and the warming of the atmosphere as a result of the overloading of the environment with greenhouse gases produced during the extraction of these materials. We were interested in the differences in properties between differently modified samples of thermoset waste in a thermoplastic matrix. We paid the most attention to the influence of the modification of the interface on the stiffness and strength of the prepared material. The results of tensile and bending tests showed that with the right combination of compatibilizers, we could successfully increase the stiffness and strength of the composites. The simultaneous increase in stiffness and strength is a very good indicator that with the right combination of compatibilizers (PP-g-MA and modified TPU co-polymer) we were able to ensure a good surface interaction between the fibres and the polymer matrix in these samples with the right combination of compatibilizers (PP-g-MA and modified TPU copolymer). Waste paper was added to the thermoplastic matrix as a reference. The difference in the performance of the composites can be explained by the better wettability of the waste paper with the SEBS-g-MA compatibilizer and the better interfacial interactions of the modified TPU copolymer with the thermoset and the PP-g-MA with the glass fibres in the case of the waste thermoset composite.