Construction compositions based on integrated binding of thermoplastic waste

Abstract

The paper suggests a solution of the actual problem of processing polymeric municipal waste in building materials with a high complex of decorative and operational properties. The work is aimed at studying the processes of structure formation and hardening in the system “multicomponent thermoplastic binder - mineral filler” in the manufacture of polymer concrete products for construction purposes. During the research methods of infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, standard methods for determining the structure and properties of building products were used. As a result of the research, compositions of a complex thermoplastic binder including polymeric consumption waste (PET, PP) are proposed taking into account the volumes of their sampling at the waste sorting stations. An additive - a compatibilizer based on an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with grafted reactive polar acrylate and epoxy groups, is also included. It was found that the introduction of a compatibilizer promotes the activation of the physicochemical interaction between the components of the polymer binder and between the polymer matrix and the mineral surface of the fillers. There was also an increase in the density and strength of the resulting artificial stone. The optimal content of the additive in an amount of 5% of the total mass of the complex binder was experimentally determined. With the introduction of a compatibilizer in smaller amounts, the effect of strengthening the flexural strength decreases, and when more compatibilizers are introduced, the strength of the products remains the same at bending, and the compressive strength decreases. Mechanisms of interphase interactions are proposed, taking into account the chemical-mineralogical composition of mineral fillers (based on carbonates and aluminosilicates). The possibility of participation of epoxide and acrylate functional groups in the formation of intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds with the formation of polyassociates was established. The revealed patterns of interaction make it possible to ensure the compatibility of weakly polar PET with other multitonnage thermoplastics, as well as compatibility of the complex polymer binder with mineral fillers. The management of the processes of structure formation in the studied systems makes it possible to obtain high decorative and operational parameters of the construction products.