AN OVERVIEW OF RECYCLING ISSUES FOR COMPOSITE-MATERIALS

A review of the major issues surrounding the post-use disposal of poly mer composite materials is presented. Composites are compared to unrei nforced plastics in terms of production volume and the technologies av ailable for reprocessing. Not surprisingly, composites comprise a very small fraction of the plastics waste stream. In high-volume applicati ons such as automobiles, however, there are reasons to be concerned ab out composites recycling. The fundamental categories of dealing with w aste (burning, burying, reusing, or using less in the first place) are described in relation to plastics and composites. Reprocessing techno logies with applications for composites are reviewed. For thermoset-ma trix composites, processes involving regrinding waste materials and us ing them as filler for other polymer processes show promise. For therm oplastic-matrix composites, processes involving grinding and remolding by injection or compression molding are promising. Applications for r ecycled composites, without which reprocessing is futile, are also rev iewed.