Sustainable approach towards utilizing Makrana marble waste for making water resistant green composite materials

Abstract

During marble mining, processing, cutting and polishing, more than 12 MT (million tons) of marble waste is produced in the state of Rajasthan, India, which is now a major environmental issue. The marble waste used in the present study was collected from Makrana marble mining, Rajasthan. The major mineral present in marble waste were calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) and quartz (SiO2). Composite materials were made using marble waste with epoxy resin. Textile fibres such as jute, cotton and glass fibres were used as reinforcing materials. The hybrid composites exhibited 54% better flexural strength (48.48 MPa) than the commercially available medium density fibre boards (24.23 MPa). Water absorption and thickness swelling values were less than 1% in green composites. The microstructural study of fractured surface of hybrid composite showed good interfacial bonding between the marble waste, fibre and the matrix. The findings of this study showed a promising outcome in introducing a new class of hybrid green composites to the composite industry and society for multifunctional applications, creating an avenue for circular economy with major environmental benefits.