Nowadays, waste tire rubber (WTR) management is a growing and serious problem. Therefore, research works focused on the development of cost-effective and environmentally-friendly methods of WTR recycling are fully justified. Incorporation of WTR into polymer matrices and composite materials attracts much attention, because this approach allows sustainable development of industrially applicable waste tires recycling technologies. Generally, utilization of WTR as a filler for polymer composites noticeably reduces materials costs, while suitable modification/functionalization of WTR may significantly enhance the performance of plastics and rubbers. This work aims to summarize the literature reports related to the thermoset/WTR composites based on various matrices such as: polyurethanes, epoxy and other resins. It particularly focuses on compatibilization strategies in thermosets/WTR systems and their impact on the chemistry and physical interfacial interactions between thermoset matrix and WTR filler phase, what significantly affecting performance properties of prepared materials. Moreover, future trends and limitation related to thermoset/WTR composites development are discussed.

This paper presents a water footprint assessment of polymers, polymer blends, composites, and biocomposites based on a standardized EUR-pallet case study. The water footprint analysis is based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The study investigates six variants of EUR-pallet production depending on the materials used. The system boundary included the production of each material and the injection molding to obtain a standardized EUR-pallet of complex properties. This paper shows the results of a water footprint of six composition variants of analyzed EUR-pallet, produced from biocomposites and composites based on polypropylene, poly(lactic acid), cotton fibers, jute fibers, kenaf fibers, and glass fibers. Additionally, a water footprint of applied raw materials was evaluated. The highest water footprint was observed for cotton fibers as a reinforcement of the analyzed biocomposites and composites. The water footprint of cotton fibers is caused by the irrigation of cotton crops. The results demonstrate that the standard EUR-pallet produced from polypropylene with glass fibers as reinforcement can contribute to the lowest water footprint.

The present paper describes the application of two types of food-industry by-products, brewers’ spent grain (BSG), and coffee silverskin (ŁK) as promising alternatives for the conventional beech wood flour (WF) for wood–polymer composites. The main goal was to investigate the impact of partial and complete WF substitution by BSG and ŁK on the processing, structure, physicochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties of resulting composites. Such modifications enabled significant enhancement of the melt flowability, which could noticeably increase the processing throughput. Replacement of WF with BSG and ŁK improved the ductility of composites, which affected their strength however. Such an effect was attributed to the differences in chemical composition of fillers, particularly the presence of proteins and lipids, which acted as plasticizers. Composites containing food-industry by-products were also characterized by the lower thermal stability compared to conventional WF. Nevertheless, the onset of decomposition exceeding 215 °C guarantees a safe processing window for polyethylene-based materials.

The rapid development of the building sector has created increased demand for novel materials and technologies, while on the other hand resulting in the generation of a severe amount of waste materials. Among these are polyurethane (PU) foams, which are commonly applied as thermal insulation materials. Their management is a serious industrial problem, due to, for example, their complex chemical composition. Although some chemical and thermochemical methods of PU foam recycling are known, their broader use is limited due to requirements related to the complexity and safety of their installation, thus implicating high costs. Therefore, material recycling poses a promising alternative. The incorporation of waste PU foams as fillers for polymer composites could make it possible to take advantage of their structure and performance. Herein, polypropylene-based composites that were highly filled with waste PU foam and modified using foaming agents were prepared and analyzed. Depending on the foam loading and the foaming agent applied, the apparent density of material was reduced by as much as 68%. The efficient development of a porous structure, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution computed micro-tomography, enabled a 64% decrease in the thermal conductivity coefficient. The foaming of the structure affected the mechanical performance of composites, resulting in a deterioration of their tensile and compressive performance. Therefore, developing samples of the analyzed composites with the desired performance would require identifying the proper balance between mechanical strength and economic, as well as ecological (share of waste material in composite, apparent density of material), considerations.

Sewage sludge is a high-volume and low-cost waste commonly generated worldwide, so its utilization is a vital issue. The application of this waste in the manufacturing of lightweight aggregates was investigated. The process was performed using intensive mixers with volumes of 5 and 30 L, as well as the industrial 500 L mixer. Then, granulates were sintered in a tube furnace. The influence of composition and mixer size on the particle size, microstructure, mechanical performance, and stability of lightweight aggregates in different environments was analyzed. The best results were obtained for a 500 L mixer, enhancing the industrial potential of the presented process. Increasing the share of sewage sludge in the composition of aggregates enhanced their porosity and reduced the specific weight, which caused a drop in compressive strength. Nevertheless, for all analyzed materials, the mechanical performance was superior compared to many commercial products. Therefore, sewage sludge can be efficiently applied as a raw material for the manufacturing of lightweight aggregates. The presented results confirm that a proper adjustment of composition allows easy the tailoring of aggregates’ performance and cost.

This publication presents a comprehensive method for assessing the homogeneity of the composition of a large batch of polymer materials, with a mass of 1.5 tons, consisting of 60 transport packages, using the example of rubber granulate from recycled car tires. The presented method combines...