RECYCLED PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT

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RECYCLED PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT

• Gouranga C. Banik, Ph.D., P.E.
• Construction Program
• Southern Polytechnic State University
• Ruth Simon McRae
• McRae Associates Inc.

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Research Team

• Dr. Gouranga Banik, Principal Investigator, SPSU
• Dr. Walter Thomas, Chair, ATE, SPSU
• Dr. Youjiang Wang, Professor, Georgia Tech.
• Ms. Ruth Simon McRae, Adjunct Faculty, SPSU
• Mr. Ravi K. Maradapu, Graduate Assistant, SPSU

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Industry Partners

• Dr. Robert Peoples, Solutia, Inc. Mr. Jeff
  Segars, Shaw Industries Mr. Keith
  H. Smith, Mohawk

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Theme of Research

• Focus on transfer of technology to industry in
  order to develop building materials containing
  post-consumer carpet

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Process

• Performed extensive library review on existing
  and developing products using PCC
• Performed survey of contractors and
  architects/engineers
• Held talks with many construction and
  manufacturing firms about development of these
  products
• Surveyed building code specifications concerning
  possible amendments
• Some identified products were evaluated for
  technical, economic and market viability

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Important Aspects-Customer Perspectives
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Product Requirements

• High performance
• Comparable cost
• Meet LEED spec, government purchasing guidelines
• Meet building codes
• User-friendly
• Consume less energy
• Should have velocity

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What We Did in the Previous Months

• Continued the literature survey to identify
  products from carpet waste.
• Prioritized the identified materials and studied
  their properties (Some tested in labs).
• Compared these materials with existing
  construction materials.
• Conducted extensive literature survey of
  International Building Codes and their recent
  amendments.

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What we did in the Previous Months

• Conducted telephone interviews with code and
  building officials of County and SBCCI
• Contacted major companies working on recycling
  products, including
  
• Superior Polymer Systems, Inc. Canada
• North American Technologies, Inc. Houston
• Elf Products, Arizona

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What we did in the Previous Months

• Meeting with Dupont Reclamation.
• Meeting with Lafarge Building Materials Inc.
• Meeting with GDOT.
• Meeting with Home Depot.
• Meeting with Mactec Engineering and Consulting.

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What we did in the Previous Months

• Telephone Meeting with Verde Products.
• Meeting with Synthetic Industries Concrete
  Systems.
• Meeting with Allied Readymix.
• Dialogue with Lowes and AERT.
• Meeting with Earthblock.
• Meeting with Indiana Extrusion and Design.

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Applications of Recycled Post-consumer Carpets
in Building Materials-Possible Use
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Findings

• The team identified potential in
• Fiber Reinforced Concrete
• Decking/Fencing
• Insulation
• Formwork

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Findings

• Formwork cannot be an effective application as
  load bearing structures need stability, low
  weight and low cost.

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Findings

• Composite reinforced decking has great potential.
• Conversation with Lowes/AERT
• Heat requirements for either polypropylene or
  nylon is outside their process parameters

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Findings

• Insulation did not prove to be a practical
  application due to weight, thermal properties and
  economics.

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Findings

• Fiber reinforced concrete has excellent potential
• Can reduce shrinking and cracking

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Findings

• Many companies manufacture fiber reinforced
  concrete, using virgin polypropylene.
• Use of fiber in low percentages works well a
  higher percentage may lower strength of material.

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Findings

• Need to have control on quality and quantity of
  fibers used in the fiber reinforced concrete.
• Once we come up with better process and
  application, the industry will definitely come
  forward to provide support.
• For GDOT to use, the FRC has to abide by ASTM
  standard tests.

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Findings from GDOT

• Standard tests specified by GDOT
• ASTM C 39 - Compressive Strength of Cylindrical
  Specimens _at_ 7 28 days.
• ASTM C 78 Flexural Strength _at_ 28 days.
• Plastic Shrinkage Test (comparing the crack area
  )
• ASTM C 157 - Length Change of Concrete _at_ 21 days
  with 14 day moist cure cycle.

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Findings

• Use of recycled carpet fiber in White topping of
  4 inch reduces the cracking.
• Though the engineers do not specify, the
  contractors do mix some fibers in concrete to
  gain workability.
• DOT provided some testing information and
  guidelines on fiber reinforced concrete as per
  their specifications.

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Fiber Reinforced Concrete

• Fiber reinforced concrete its utility
• Polyester causes cavities in long run,
• reduces early cracking
• Nylon Hygroscopic, No evidence that
  nylon would degrade concrete.

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Fiber Reinforced Concrete

• Issues of load bearing and bending strength in
  fiber reinforced concrete. Fiber cannot be relied
  to carry on constant loads.
• FRC can be used in driveways to initially test
  the behavior of the concrete, wherein it does not
  really carry load.
• Major concern in highway community is surface
  cracking may be able to restrict surface
  cracking using recycled carpet with asphalt.

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Product Support

• EarthBlock
• Indiana Extrusion Design

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Future Research

• Test and validate the new materials under
  real-world scenario.
• Properties of the prioritized products will be
  modified by extensive laboratory study to
  optimize the code and market requirements.
• Identify the barriers of entry into existing and
  future markets for these products.

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Future Research

• Develop marketing strategies for these identified
  products to compete with the existing building
  materials.
• Develop user friendly software to determine the
  required properties, potential uses and economic
  viabilities of some of the prioritized products.
• Develop Technology-Transfer strategies from
  Research to Practice.

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Lets Conserve the Environment to make this World
a better place to live.

• Thank You!!!!!