I-Corps: Carpet-Polyolefin Recycled Composites

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发基于普通回收材料的消费产品。最初的解决方案创建了回收塑料托盘，由一次性使用的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)、聚丙烯(PP)、高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)聚烯烃以及使用压缩成型的消费后PET和PP地毯组成。该项目的目标是使用更便宜、更坚固和可修复的回收材料提供增值产品。回收的塑料产品在潮湿的环境中可能更耐用，更容易清洁，这可能使它们比木制品更有价值，特别是在食品行业。此外，由于减少了垃圾填埋和塑料处置，这些材料可能会对环境产生积极影响。其他潜在的应用包括住房和办公市场的吸声面板。这个i-Corps项目基于一种组合材料的开发，该组合材料由消费后的聚丙烯(PP)、聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(PET)、PP地毯和一次性使用的聚烯烃组成，如高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)。这些材料可以使用低成本的制造技术，如压缩成型，模制成复合板。其目标是提供低成本、可持续的复合材料，具有强度(20兆帕)和硬度(750兆帕)，这将有助于商业产品，如托盘和声学面板。这种复合材料含有高达70%的垃圾填埋地毯和30%的回收树脂，已被证明超过了商业化的热塑性塑料的强度，使其适合于结构应用。这些发现提出了一种有希望的方法来解决消费后地毯和其他塑料材料的可持续回收问题。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of consumer products based on common recycled materials. The initial solution creates recycled plastic pallets composed of single-use polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) polyolefins, and post-consumer PET and PP carpet using compression molding. The goal of the project is to offer value-added products using less expensive, sturdier, and repairable recycled materials. The recycled plastic products may be more durable in wet environments and easier to clean, which may make them a better value than wood products, especially in the food industries. In addition, the materials may have a positive impact on the environmental due to reduced landfilling and plastics disposal. Other potential applications include acoustic panels for housing and office markets.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a combination material composed of post-consumer polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PP carpet, and single-use polyolefins such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE). These materials may be molded into composite panels using low-cost fabrication techniques such as compression molding. The goal is to provide low-cost, sustainable composites with strengths (20 MPa) and stiffnesses (750 MPa) that would contribute to commercial products such as pallets and acoustic panels. The composites, which contain up to 70% landfill carpet and 30% recycled resin, have been shown to surpass the strength of commercialized thermoplastics, making them suitable for structural applications. These findings present a promising approach to address recycling of post-consumer carpet and other plastic materials sustainably.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.