Development of composites with plastic waste and used foundry sands

Abstract

The use of different residues for the production of new composite materials has gained strength in recent years, as it enables reuse of materials and creates value for the residue which would usually be insignificant. This work presents the results of the development of mixed plastic composites using plastic waste and used foundry sands from different origins as fillers. The materials were characterized by different methods and the composites formulated were evaluated for their mechanical properties. Results indicate that the incorporation of high contents (mass fraction) of sand in the polymer is possible. However, the increase in the sand content is limited by the effect on the mechanical properties of the composites, making them less usable in structural situations