Environmental impact assessment of composites containing recycled plastics

Using recycled plastics can significantly reduce the environmental impacts by avoiding exploration, mining and transportation of natural gas and oil. Adding fibrous reinforcement is a potential way to increase the recycling rate and also to locate high value applications to recycled plastics. The environmental impact assessment has been carried out using life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The glass fibres and flax fibres were chosen as fibrous reinforcement. The resource depletion potential and global warming potential were evaluated for glass fibre and flax fibre filled recycled plastics and compared with their respective virgin alternatives. The properties of the recycled and virgin composites were estimated from the literatures and semi-empirical models. The resource depletion and global warming were compared at equivalent stiffness's. The results indicate that reinforcing recycled plastics can significantly reduce the resource consumption and global warming in civil and infrastructural applications. However, the composites made from virgin plastics remain a greener and sustainable alternative in the automotive applications.

► The environmental impacts of reinforcing recycled plastic with glass and flax fibres are evaluated for first time.
► The impacts are evaluated in relation to the mechanical properties of the material which can help engineers working in recycled products.
► It was found that reinforced recycled plastics are environmentally better in civil and infrastructural applications rather than automobile applications. The product developers have to be aware of these research findings before using their material in automotive applications.