Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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The Recycling of Comminuted Glass-Fiber-

Reinforced Resin from Electronic Waste

Huabo Duan , Weifeng Jia & Jinhui Li

To cite this article: Huabo Duan , Weifeng Jia & Jinhui Li (2010) The Recycling of Comminuted
Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Resin from Electronic Waste, Journal of the Air & Waste Management
Association, 60:5, 532-539, DOI: 10.3155/1047-3289.60.5.532

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 TECHNICAL PAPER
The Recycling of Comminuted Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Resin
from Electronic Waste
Huabo Duan
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, Peoples
Republic of China
Weifeng Jia
Civil and Environment Engineering School, University of Science and Technology, Beijing,
Peoples Republic of China
Jinhui Li
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, Peoples
Republic of China
Downloaded by [Athlone Inst of Technology] at 02:09 24 August 2017
ABSTRACT
The reuse of comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin with
various granularities gathered from printed circuit manu-
facturing residues was investigated. As fillers, these resi-
dues were converted into polymeric composite board by
an extrusion and injection process using polypropylene as
a bonding agent. The mechanical properties of the repro-
duced composite board were examined by considering
the effects of mass fraction and glass-fiber distribution.
Interfacial-layer micrograph analysis of the composite
material fracture surface was used to study the fiber rein-
forcement mechanism. Results showed that using com-
minuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin as a filler material
greatly enhanced the performance properties of the com-
posite board. Although the length and diameter of filler
varied, these variations had no appreciable effect on the
mechanical properties of the processed board. Maximum
values of 48.30 MPa for flexural strength, 31.34 MPa for
tensile strength, and 31.34 J/m for impact strength were
achieved from a composite board containing mass frac-
tions of 30, 10, and 20% glass-fiber-reinforced resin waste,
respectively. It was found that the maximum amount of
recyclate that could be added to a composite board was
30% of weight. Beyond these percentages, the materials
IMPLICATIONS
The reuse of comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin gath-
ered from printed circuit manufacturing residues was inves-
tigated. These resins were converted into polymeric com-
posite board by an extrusion and injection process using
polypropylene as a bonding agent. These studies indicated
that the comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin waste-
filled polypropylene composites are promising candidates
for structural applications in which high stiffness and frac-
ture resistance are required.
532 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
ISSN:1047-3289 J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 60:532539
DOI:10.3155/1047-3289.60.5.532
Copyright 2010 Air & Waste Management Association
blend became unmanageable and the mixture less ame-
nable to impregnation with fiber. Presented studies indi-
cated that comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin waste-
filled polypropylene composites are promising candidates
for structural applications where high stiffness and frac-
ture resistance are required.
INTRODUCTION
During the last few decades, electronic products have
become an indispensable part of society, making life and
work more comfortable and less laborious, and the elec-
tronic industries have experienced remarkable growth.
Unfortunately, such a trend has led to the rapid replace-
ment and disposal of electronic products well before the
end of their functional cycles. The generation of elec-
tronic waste (e-waste) and manufacturing residue is the
most rapidly growing environmental problem.13 Prepreg
residues from the printed circuit industry, nonmetallic
materials separated from dismantling, mass metal and
plastic recycling, and precious metals extracted from dis-
carded e-waste such as computers, televisions, and print-
ers are now creating a new waste problem glass-fiber-
reinforced epoxy resin (GRE; plastic resin reinforced by
fine glass fibers). These thermosetting polymers are
crosslinked and cannot be remolded, unlike thermoplas-
tics, which can easily be remelted. Moreover, short glass
fibers, unlike long ones, do not effectively reinforce poly-
mers. The disposal of GRE waste into landfills or by in-
cineration, including open burning in some developing
countries such as China, becomes a major environmental
hazard.4 7
Concern for the environment, in terms of limiting
the use of finite resources and managing waste disposal,
has led to increasing pressure to recycle these materials at
the end of their useful life. Yet virtually no standard
methods have been developed for recycling thermoset
resin, reinforcement, and filler. However, waste GRE,
which comprises thermoset epoxy resin matrices with
short-fiber glass and flame retardant, actually offers a
Volume 60 May 2010

combination of strength, durability, low weight, and cor-
rosion resistance that has made it increasingly feasible for
use in recycled composite products. This type of waste can
also be used for energy recovery via pyrolysis. Several
material recovery technologies have been proposed and
developed for general glass-fiber-reinforced polymeric
materials. There are two categories of such processes:
those that use thermal or chemical processes to degrade
the scrap down into materials and energy, and those that
involve mechanical techniques to reduce the size of the
scrap to produce filler recyclate. Pickering et al.8 and Cun-
liffe et al.5 have incinerated various glass-fiber-reinforced
resins in a fluidized bed with the aim of recovering glass
fiber and energy. The thermal process for recycling glass-
fiber-reinforced polyester waste through pyrolysis at
450 C resulted in the production of carbon monoxide
(CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen gas (H2), methane
(CH4), and hydrocarbon gases, along with pyrolysis oil,
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which has a high calorific value for use as fuels.5,9 Zheng
et al.10 reported on efforts to reclaim glass fiber from
glass-fiber-reinforced composites by heating in a muffle
furnace. Buggy et al.11 and Iwaya et al.12 have attempted
to extract fiber by dissolving the polymeric fraction using
various organic and inorganic solvents. Patel et al.13 in-
vestigated various recycling technologies for sheet mold-
ing compound (SMC), including solvent dissolution, hy-
drolysis, and pyrolysis.
There have also been several investigations into the
possible reuse of materials recovered from GRE. Methods
for the reuse of long or short glass fiber (reinforced poly-
mer) as an additive for cement mortar or in cement con-
struction products have recently been proposed.14,15
Moreover, several research projects have been conducted
on the reuse of fiberglass recyclate as fillers into polymer
matrices. Schinner et al.16 recycled long carbon fiber, ther-
moplastic composite material by grinding the composite
and using the material as a high-quality reinforcing ma-
terial in injection molds or as press-molding compounds.
Perrin et al.17 reported investigations into the recycling of
SMC waste as incorporation material for thermoplastic
polymer matrices. The feasibility of recycling short-fiber
glass-reinforced polymer wastes into thermosetting matri-
ces (polyester or polycarbonate) was demonstrated in
1996.18 20 Several studies have addressed the recycling of
nonmetallic fractions/powder from waste printed circuit
boards after noble metals or copper have been removed,
making a polymer composite by using thermoplastic
polymer (polypropylene [PP]) as a bonding matrix.2124
This type of reproduced composite probably contained
copper, lead, and even some heavy metals. However,
none of these proposals developed any large-scale appli-
cation that could represent a viable alternative to waste
disposal in landfills or incineration.
Incinerationthe reclamation method used in devel-
oping countries for the energy content of polymer has
proved not useful for composites because of their high
inorganic content. Moreover, during open burning or
incineration (in the presence of oxygen gas [O2]), approx-
imately 515% of the bromine (flame retardants) in fiber-
reinforced polymer wastes are difficult to separate or
treat,25 contributing to the emissions of organic pollut-
ants, which are rich in brominated aromatics and can
Volume 60 May 2010
Duan, Jia, and Li
even lead to the release of dioxin into the atmosphere.26
Pyrolysis has the potential to produce chemical feedstocks
from the polymer of fiber-reinforced plastic waste, but
these may be difficult to refine from the mixture of prod-
ucts produced because the operating cost is too high to be
economically viable.2730 Chemical breakdown of poly-
mer matrix materials using hydrolysis or dissolution has
seen some limited application to composites. Regrinding
fiber-reinforced polymer waste into larger or smaller
pieces to produce new composite reinforcement and filler
materials is currently the most promising method that
has actually been applied. However, to the authors
knowledge, little information is available on the reuse of
comminuted GRE waste under molding conditions, with
attention to the granularity and the bond mold. Previous
studies have concluded that composites incorporating re-
grinding methods tend to exhibit significantly superior
mechanical properties, but no investigations into the rea-
sons behind this behavior have been conducted so far.
The work presented in this paper forms part of a
major investigation into the potential for comminuted
GRE waste to be recycled into filler for thermoplastic
polymeric composite board. It aims to determine the fea-
sibility of closed-loop material recycling for fiber-rein-
forced thermoset composites. The use of prepreg residue
(fiber-reinforced epoxy resin laminate) from printed cir-
cuit manufacturing of GRE filling materials, the molding
process, and the feasibility of producing composite board
were evaluated by considering the effects of mass propor-
tion and comminuted granularity. Interfacial-layer micro-
graph and bond model analysis of composite material
fracture surface were used to study the fiber breakage and
fracture mechanisms.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
Prepreg residue, a common glass-fiber-reinforced resin
composite used as reinforcement in composite board, was
obtained from Jinhua Printed Circuit Board Company
(Hebei province, China). Samples used in this study had
an average length and width of 10 30 cm.
Prepreg is the FR4 laminate that is considered to be
the backbone of the printed circuit industry. It consists
of layers of fiberglass cloth of approximately 60 wt %
impregnated with epoxy resin of 40 wt %. FR means
flame retardant, and type 4 indicates woven glass-
reinforced epoxy resin. This laminate is the most widely
used material for this purpose, providing the best com-
promise between cost and electrical and mechanical
requirements. A T30S grade of PP particle (0.51 mm),
obtained from SINOPEC Beijing Yangzi Petrochemical
Company with a melting point of 167 C and a density
of 0.90 g/cm3, was used as the matrix material. Silane
coupling agents (KH560), which are widely used as ad-
hesion promoters,31,32 were prepared to modify the
prepreg residue surface.
Methods and Equipment
Prepreg residues were crushed into less than 3-mm pieces
by a shredding machine (model HYP-250, Beijing) with
8-screen mesh. The crushed prepreg residue was then
comminuted by a pulverizing machine into particles with
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 533
 Duan, Jia, and Li

an average length and diameter of less than 0.83 mm

(model FL-150, Jiangsu) with a 20-screen mesh. The
prepreg particles were added in a percentage ranging from
10 to 60% by mass fraction. The appearance and commi-
nuted particle microstructure of prepreg residues are
shown in Figure 1.
Because the grinding process has a significant impact
on the structure of glass fibers, the length and diameter of
the comminuted prepreg residue was sieved into various
particle sizes of 20- to 40-, 40- to 80-, 80- to 140-, 140-to
200-, and 200-screen mesh to assess the impact of size on
composite material properties. The mass proportion of
various sizes of comminuted prepreg samples (by screen
mesh) is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. The size distribution (by mass fraction) of comminuted
PP particles, used as a bonding polymer matrix, and prepreg residue sample (categorized by screen mesh).
comminuted prepreg powder were premixed in a high-
resolution mixing machine (model SHR-50A, Jiangsu) us- that the addition of prepreg residue darkened the appear-
ing silane coupling agents to modify the mixture surface, ance of the molded specimens.
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then granulated in a single-screw extruder (model SJ45, The impact specimens were fractured, and the ex-
Jiangsu) running at 15 rpm and at temperatures in the posed surfaces were observed with a scanning electron
range 170 200 C. A silane/ethanol mixture was pre- microscope (SEM; model JSM 7401 and JSM-6460LV). The
pared, using proportions of silane, ethanol, and water in surfaces of the fractured specimens were coated with gold
the ratio of 20:72:8 (wt %), by slowly dripping silane into to avoid charging under the electron beam. The mechan-
ethanol and continuously stirring. The silane concentra- ical properties of the new composite materials, including
tion in the final polymer mixture was kept to a level of 0.5 flexural, impact, and tensile strength and modulus, were
wt %. These concentrations are the empirical values that examined using the International Standardization Orga-
have been used in similar studies.4,6,10 nization (ISO) 527, ISO 180, and ISO 178 series standards.
During the injection and compression molding pro-
cess, all components were carefully dried at temperatures
in the range of 100 130 C for at least 4 hr to limit the
processing-induced hydrolysis and to reduce internal
voids caused by escaping water vapor. The resulting pel-
lets were fed into a three-phase injection molding ma-
chine, model CJ80-E (injection pressure 120 MPa; mold
temperature 170, 175, and 120 C) to produce ISO
527-2 dumbbell (GRE/PP composite board) specimens
(length 151 mm, gauge length 50 mm, gauge width
10 mm, thickness 4 mm) and rectangular test bars
(length 80 mm, width 12 mm, thickness 4 mm).
These specimens are shown in Figure 3. About 15 speci-
mens (dumbbell and rectangular test bars) were obtained
for each prepared PP-prepreg mixture. It can be seen here

Figure 3. The specimens produced by an extrusion and injection

Figure 1. SEM micrograph on the typical fracture surfaces of molding process. The comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin was
comminuted prepreg residue sample. Fibers coated with resin are converted into polymeric composite board using PP as a bonding
oriented in various dimensions and the dispersion of fibers is almost agent. (A) Dumbbell (GRE/PP composite board) specimens; (B)
random. rectangular test bars.

534 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association Volume 60 May 2010

The flexure test method (sometimes called a trans-
verse beam test) measures the behavior of materials
subjected to simple beam loading. Maximum fiber
stress and maximum strain are calculated for various
increments of load. Results are plotted in a stress-strain
diagram. Typically, the testing of tensile strength in-
volves taking a small sample with a fixed cross-section
area and then pulling it with a controlled, gradually
increasing force until the sample changes shape or
breaks. For the impact test, the specimen, supported by
a vertical cantilever beam, is broken by a single impact
of a striker, with the line of impact a fixed distance from
the specimen clamp, or, in the case of notched speci-
mens, from the center line of the notch. In addition,
the density and the linear shrinkage were tested using
ISO 62 and ISO 291, respectively. Linear shrinkage (con-
traction rate) refers to the change in linear dimensions
that occurs in test specimens after they have been sub-
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jected to injection molding and then cooled to room
temperature.
To ensure the repeatability of the results while still
preserving enough specimens for further property analy-
sis, the injection-molding experiments were conducted
three times for every kind of property, selecting the com-
posite boards with the best appearance, and an average
value was used for each final result. About 15 specimens
(dumbbell and rectangular test bars) could be obtained for
each prepared PP-prepreg composite board. To carry out
the mechanical/physical tests, three duplicable experi-
ments were generally conducted for every kind of prop-
erty and an average value was used.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
An Evaluation of the Mechanical Testing of the
Composite Boards
This section analyzes the mechanical performance of the
injection-molded comminuted prepreg residue and PP
composites (GRE/PP). The results for the flexural proper-
ties as a function of prepreg residue concentration are
shown in Figure 4. Whereas the flexural modulus in-
creased as mass was added, the flexural strength of
prepreg residue reached its maximum at a mass fraction of
30 wt %. In addition, values of 48.30 MPa for flexural
strength and 2028 MPa for flexural modulus were
achieved from reproduced composite board containing
30 wt % of prepreg residue.
Figure 4. Influence of mass fraction of GRE on flexural properties
of a reproduced composite board (GRE/PP).
Volume 60 May 2010
Duan, Jia, and Li
Figure 5. Influence of mass fraction of GRE on tensile properties of
a reproduced composite board (GRE/PP).
Compared with the flexural properties, a slightly
different result was found for the tensile property en-
forcement (Figure 5). Whereas the tensile modulus con-
tinually increased along with the mass of the prepreg
residue, the tensile strength remained at almost the
same level when the mass increased more than 20 wt %
and even began to decrease with a further increase in
mass fraction. Values of 25.43 MPa for tensile strength
and 2195 MPa for tensile modulus were achieved from
reproduced composite board containing 30 wt % of
prepreg residue.
The data in Figures 4 and 5 show that flexural/tensile
strength does not follow the same linear increase as mod-
ulus. Rather, the curve shows a decrease in reinforcement
strength as the fiber content increases. Flexural strength
represents the highest bending stress experienced within
a material at its moment of rupture. The flexural modulus
is the ratio of stress to strain in flexural deformation (i.e.,
the tendency for a material to bend) and is an intensive
property. Modulus, then, is independent of interfacial
adhesion but increases almost linearly with filler loading.
Thus, a high modulus is not necessarily associated with
high strength.
Figure 6 shows the curve of the impact properties of a
reproduced composite board. The value of impact
strength is enhanced by a small quantity and reaches its
maximum when the mass fraction is 20 wt %. A value of
11.81 J/m for impact strength was achieved from repro-
duced composite board containing 30 wt % of prepreg
residue, twice that of the pure PP polymer boards.
Figure 7 shows the changes in density and the shrink-
age properties. Both values showed significant improve-
ment over the behavior of pure PP polymer boards. The
linear shrinkage of reproduced composite with a 30%
additive was 1.82%more than 3 times less than the
shrinkage of pure PP polymer boards (6.69%). High
shrinkage can cause excessive warping and induce crack-
ing, which are undesirable outcomes. Because the density
Figure 6. Influence of mass fraction of GRE on impact strength of
a reproduced composite board (GRE/PP).
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 535
 Duan, Jia, and Li

analyzed in this study were almost the same as those with

mixed filler.
The size variations of particles of prepreg residue
added into PP-matrix composites has played various roles
in the structural improvement of newly produced sub-
strate materials. PP can be reinforced with short glass
fibers (small particles) to improve the stiffness and reduce
the shrinkage. This material behaves isotropically and is
not as sensitive as long-fiber composites to the mismatch
of thermal expansion between the matrix and the parti-
cles. However, long glass fibers (the same fiber diameter,
but longer length) are used to provide higher tensile
strength and fracture toughness, compared with shorter
fibers. This has been noted and discussed in previous
reports.33,34
The above results indicate that recycled comminuted
prepreg residue is a valuable raw material that can be used
as reinforcement and filler in PP-matrix composites. Al-
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though the reproduction of composite board including

recycled prepreg residue does not always greatly improve
mechanical performance (e.g., tensile strength), it may be
acceptable for certain applications. Because of the large
amounts of recycled glass-fiber-reinforced resin gener-
ated, there is a high demand for this material as compared
with conventional fillers (e.g., calcium carbonate). Hence,
studies on how it might be reformulated for use are worth
pursuing. In these investigations a standard molding
equipment was used and was found to be adequate for
such materials, using only a silane coupling agent as mod-
ifier. Further improvement could probably be achieved if
other modifying agents were used as additives, such as
ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, antioxidants, or
a nucleating agent.

Figure 7. Influence of mass fraction of GRE on the (A) shrinkage

rate and (B) density of a reproduced composite board (GRE/PP).

of scrap prepreg filler was higher than that of pure PP, a

linear increase in the density of reproduced composite
was obtained, reaching 1.01 g/cm3 at a 30 wt % loading of
prepreg residue.
The above results show that the addition of prepreg
residue (short glass-fiber-reinforced resin) filler en-
hanced performance properties of PP. This analysis
demonstrates that the mechanical properties of com-
posite boards with filler in the form of prepreg residue
recyclate depend largely on the fraction of residue
mass. The maximum amount of recyclate that could be
added to a reproduced composite board was found to be
30% of weight. Above this percentage, the material
blend was unmanageable and the mixture was less ame-
nable to fiber impregnation.
Because the specimens also varied in the length and
diameter of comminuted prepreg residue (ranging from
20- to 200-screen mesh), the influence of comminuted
granularity on flexural, tensile, and impact strength of a
reproduced composite board was also investigated. The
additional mass was selected to be constant at 30 wt %.
The results reveal that particle size has minor impacts on Figure 8. Influence of particle size of GRE on (A) flexural and
the major mechanical properties of a reproduced compos- tensile strength and (B) impact strength of a reproduced composite
ite board (Figure 8). The values of mechanical properties board (GRE/PP) at 30 wt % loading.

536 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association Volume 60 May 2010

An Analysis on the Microstructure of the
Composite Boards
It is well established that the mechanical properties of the
matrix-matrix/fiber interfaces are crucial because they dic-
tate the mechanical behavior of the overall composite
structure. Hence the impact specimens were fractured,
and the exposed surfaces were observed with SEM. Figure
9 shows the SEM micrographs of the fracture surfaces of
pure PP and of reproduced composite board samples con-
taining 10, 30, and 50 wt % of prepreg residue.
The SEM of a composite board containing various
mass fractions of prepreg residue shows a strong adhesion
between the PP matrix and the glass fiber and clearly
demonstrates the effect of fiber powder in the reproduced
composite board. Whereas the fracture surface of pure PP
matrix board presents a brittle fracture, in the composite
board with added comminuted prepreg residue, the fibers
reinforce the board significantly, although they are ori-
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ented in various directions and their dispersion is almost
random. However, it has also been reported that the
strength of the composite increases when the mass frac-
tion of additional resin, in the form of polymer-based
adhesives, is increased.35,36
On the other hand, overloading the boards with
prepreg residue can lead to a rapid reduction of the resin
bonding agent, and the material blend becomes unman-
ageable, resulting in a mixture that is less amenable to
fiber impregnation. For example, loading the fracture sur-
faces of a composite board with 50% mass fraction (Figure
9D) resulted in insufficient PP on the prepreg filler particle
surfaces, indicating that not enough chemical bond ex-
isted between the matrix and the filler. This situation led
to the weakening of the composite rather than to its
reinforcement, proving that there is a limit on the in-
crease in strength that can be gained by adding prepreg
residue.
Figure 9. SEM micrographs of fracture surfaces of (A) pure PP, composite board (GRE/PP) specimens containing (B) 10%, (C) 30%, and (D)
50 wt % of prepreg residue.
Volume 60 May 2010
Duan, Jia, and Li
It is known that to understand the mechanical prop-
erties of a composite material (e.g., strength and resis-
tance to fracture) one needs to be able to describe the
particle size distribution of the particulate component of
the composite.37 For the specimens of reproduced com-
posite board at 30% loading of prepreg residue, which
were separated into subgroups on the basis of particle size
(ranging from 20- to 200-screen mesh), the fracture sur-
faces were investigated by SEM.
As seen in Figure 10, along with the decrease of the
granularity and fiber length of filled comminuted prepreg
residue, the fillers in composite materials become more
evenly distributed as the particle size increases. Short glass
fibers of prepreg residue are prone to adhere strongly to
the PP polymer, indicating excellent bonding between
the two. However, the larger particle-size fiber showed
even better adhesion, probably because of the continuity
and ductibility of the filler particles even at higher load-
ing. This phenomenon could explain why the strength of
composite board is almost unaffected by fiber length and
fiber orientation, especially in the case of injection-
molded composite board.
An Assessment on the Prospective Application of
the Composite Boards
GRE/PP composite boards are available for any potential
applications that demand weight savings, precision engi-
neering, finite tolerances, and the simplification of parts
in production and operation. A molded polymer artifact is
cheaper, faster, and easier to manufacture than a cast
aluminum or steel artifact and maintains similar and
sometimes even better tolerances and material strengths.
The current market for PP-based composites can be di-
vided into three sectors: (1) pallets, or flat transport struc-
tures that support packaged goods in a stable fashion
while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, or other jacking
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 537
 Duan, Jia, and Li
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Figure 10. SEM micrographs of fracture surfaces of (A) pure PP, reproduced composite board (GRE/PP) samples filled by various particle size
of (B) 20- to 40-, (C) 40- to 80-, and (D) 200-screen mesh at 30 wt % loading.
device; (2) construction materials, such as steel lagging
used in the molding construction of concrete; and (3)
street furniture and accessories such as outdoor tables
and chairs, artificial rockery, fences, railings, signs, and
dustbins.
With regard to the subsequent recyclability of these
materials, closed-loop material recycling for fiber-rein-
forced thermoset composites is an emerging technology.
The newly reproduced composite board could be re-
ground and reused as filler in polymeric composite. Ther-
moplastics polymers (PP) are not crosslinked and can
easily be remelted, in contrast to thermosetting prepreg
residue, which cannot be remolded.
CONCLUSIONS
Prepreg residues (comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced
resin) from the printed circuit industry, nonmetallic ma-
terials separated from dismantling, mass metal and plastic
recycling, and the precious metals extracted from dis-
carded e-waste such as computers, televisions, and print-
ers are now creating a new waste problemGRE. The
reuse of this material, with various granularities, obtained
from printed circuit manufacturing residues was investi-
gated in this study. These resins were converted into poly-
meric composite board by an extrusion and injection
process using polypropylene as a bonding agent. Standard
molding equipment was used and was adequate for pro-
cessing such materials using only a silane coupling agent
as a modifier. Results showed that using comminuted GRE
as a filler material greatly enhanced the performance
properties of the composite board. The optimum amount
of recyclate that could be added to a composite board was
30% of weight. GRE waste-filled polypropylene compos-
ites are promising candidates for structural applications
where high stiffness and fracture resistance are required.
538 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
Although the mechanical properties of materials contain-
ing these recyclates do not always enhance properties
such as tensile strength, they may still be acceptable for
certain applications or could be improved with additional
modifications.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was funded by a project from the National
Key Technology Research and Development Program
(2006BAC02A18) and a special subject of the 2007 Na-
tional Environmental Protection Nonprofit Industry
Scientific Research. The authors thank Ms. Marian Rhys
for her help in language editing.
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About the Authors
Huabo Duan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of
Environmental Science and Engineering at Tsinghua Uni-
versity in Beijing, China. Weifeng Jia is a M.Sci. candidate
with the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering
School at the University of Science and Technology in
Beijing, China. Dr. Jinhui Li is a professor in the Department
of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tsinghua Uni-
versity. He is also executive secretary at the Basel Conven-
tion Coordinating Centre for Asia and the Pacific. Please
address correspondence to: Jinhui Li, Department of Envi-
ronmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University,
100084 Beijing, Peoples Republic of China; phone:
8610-6279-4143; fax: 8610-6277-2048; e-mail: jinhui@
tsinghua.edu.cn or duanhuabo@gmail.com.
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 539