Development of micro dust reinforced composite for building applications

Abstract

Recycling and reuse of textile waste is a proficient solution in preventing waste going into landfill and causing pollution. This paper reports the use of microdust generated from fibers in textile spinning mills to fabricate composites using compression molding for prospective applications in the building sector. Ten composite samples of 6 mm and 10 mm were developed by changing the microdust-resin blend proportions ranging resin content of 30%–10%. The tensile, flexural and compression properties, fire retardancy, water absorption and the insulation properties of the composites were determined. The results showed that the 6 mm thick composite board with 70% microdust had the most desired mechanical properties with tensile strength of 6.41 MPa, compressive strength of 3.6 MPa, and flexural strength of 10.2 MPa. These properties are superior compared to commercially available false ceiling board made of gypsum material of similar density and thickness. The thermal insulation value was 0.117 m2 K/W which is equivalent to the commercial sample (0.102 m2 K/W) used in similar applications in the building industry. The sample with 80% microdust (10 mm thick) achieved the highest thermal resistance (0.1879 m2 K/W) which is about 50 % higher than a commercial sample of the same thickness. This study shows that the composite panels overall are comparable to the commercially available panel used in the building industry and provides cost effective and sustainable alternatives for thermal barrier panels while overcoming the issue of landing filling of microdust from the spinning mills.