rec-HERO
Material and design optimization of injection-molded reinforcement spacers using plastic residues of WEEE recycling
K.B. Adsan (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
T. Bristogianni – Mentor (TU Delft - Structures & Materials)
M. Bilow – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Design & Technology)
S. Khademi – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Building Knowledge)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
The thesis explores how plastic residues from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling, which are typically being sent to energy recovery by incineration or destined for landfills, can be transformed into injectionmolded building components. By focusing on reinforcement spacers which are located at the internal shearing layer of concrete introduces a viable application scenario for low-grade, contaminated polymers within the built environment. The research employs a dual-track methodology: a bottom-up material experimentation track and a top-down product development track with their respective evaluation parameters that sustain a feedback loop within both tracks throughout the thesis. The material experimentation track reproduces the key mechanical recycling steps at lab scale to develop a processable polymer recipe and a heating/cooling cycle for injection molding. The lab-scale mechanical recycling steps including density separation, colour sorting, FT-IR and DSC analyses which are replicated to achieve an injection moldable polymer recipe of carbon black Polypropylene/Polyethylene (PP/PE), Polypropylene, and Polystyrene. Meanwhile, the product development track iterates material source-specific designs, which are graded by the parameters in a design optimization tool. The custom multi-criteria evaluation model guides the selection of the optimal design for the contaminated waste input. The application scenario confirms the thesis’ structural compatibility and production feasibility. The thesis proves the processability of rejected plastic fractions into non-exposed recycled heroes of construction through complex and multi-iterative techniques.