Recycling of FRP Products by Manufacturers
FRP or Fiber reinforced plastics based products are composite materials having a fibrous reinforcement that is encased in a polymer matrix. Manufacturers of FRP products India apply polymer matrix as a liquid resin and cure it to a solid chemically. The reinforcing materials are glass fibers generally, but the materials range can be different, such as aramid or carbon fibers. The amount of fiber in these composite materials can range from >5% to <60% by weight.
Manufacturers have plenty of ways to produce FRP profiles like-
- Hand lay-up
- Closed-mold infusion
- Compression molding
Out of these above stated methods, compression molding is widely used in bulk volume manufacturing plants like automobile factories/units. However, every method generates solid waste in the form of overspray, non-compliant parts, or trimmings. Currently, this solid waste is land filled.
FRP manufacturers are taking interest in recycling their waste. FRP scrap costs them in two ways- opportunity costs and disposal costs. Disposal costs include landfill and transport fees. A neglected scrap cost is known as opportunity cost of the material thrown away that might have been repurposed to produce a different product.
The issues with the recycling of FRP products
The first issue with recycling of FRP scrap is the use of thermoset resins. Such resins are liquids that cure a solid with the help of a chemical reaction that crosslinks the resin molecules. The curing reaction used by manufacturers is non-reversable, which means if the liquid once turn into solid, it cannot be return to its original liquid form via heating as do thermoplastics.
Unlike thermoplastics, manufacturers cannot heat the FRP material and remold it.
Next complication is that FRP recycling is the filler and fiber content of the scrap. Manufacturers add fillers to FRP resins to lower the resin amount required for producing a part. This cuts down the styrene emissions and cost.
Third is that maximum numbers of FRP products are made under a room-temperature setting cure to reduce the capital cost of the manufacturing process.
Next is the distinct ways to handle scrap recycling method, which adds the critical issue of transportation and logistics.
These are the significant issues with recycling of FRP products India. There are manufacturers seeking for solutions to these problems. You can find and read articles about these solutions online. To feedback for this post, you can comment below.