J. Gadea

Construction Applications of Polyurethane Foam Wastes

Abstract This chapter covers a range of by-products based on the addition of polyurethane (PU) foam wastes. The sustainability of these recycled materials and some improved properties with respect to traditional products are considered. The study includes the mechanical degradation or physical treatment as manufacturing technologies for the use of industrial wastes as substitutes for natural lightweight aggregates to be used in conglomerates and agglomerates as masonry mortars, plaster, coating and composite additives. The results obtained demonstrate that the employ of recycled construction materials including PU foam waste is as good as conventional materials.

Cement Mortars Lightened with Rigid Polyurethane Foam Waste Applied On-Site: Suitability and Durability

The durability of using cement mortars lightened with rigid polyurethane foam waste is analysed, adding to previous research on their characterization, preparation, and manufacture carried out by the Construction Materials Research Group, University of Burgos. For this work a storage hut was built. The mortars used two types of cement: CEM II and IV; the sand was partially substituted by shredded rigid polyurethane foam waste (PFW), with substitutions by volume of sand of 50% and 75%, in accordance with the use and application of the mortar. Suitability tests were performed, after 28 days had elapsed, in relation to adhesion and, after 3 months, in relation to hardness. Once the investigation was finished, it was concluded that the mortars made with aggregates of rigid polyurethane foam waste easily mixed and placed on-site. At 28 days from application of the mortars, a tile coating was executed on one wall and on the floor. Adherence tests and surface hardness test were performed on the “in situ” rendering. Four years later new tests sustain that the adherence and the surface hardness of the mortars applied on-site was similar to laboratory levels and is sufficient for the application of these commonly used mortars.

Design and Manufacture of a Sustainable Lightweight Prefabricated Material Based on Gypsum Mortar with Semirigid Polyurethane Foam Waste

The characterization of a new gypsum mortar-based composite material that incorporates various combinations of polyurethane waste in its matrix is reported in this paper. The new material, a lightweight plate for use in internal ceilings, is characterized in a series of standardized tests: bulk density, mechanical behavior, and the reaction to fire test. Moreover, the study details the industrial manufacturing process linked to the integration of waste from the plastics industry. Increased quantities of polymer waste caused significant reductions in bulk density and mechanical strength, although with reasonable behavior of the plates up to substitution levels of 50%. The non-combustibility test demonstrated the potential of the new material for interior use in buildings. The technology of the new gypsum mortar-based material and polyurethane waste could potentially maximize the reuse and the life-span of this type of waste that would otherwise be incinerated or dumped on landfill sites.

Hydration in Mortars Manufactured with Ladle Furnace Slag (LFS) and the Latest Generation of Polymeric Emulsion Admixtures

Ladle furnace slags have successfully been used in the manufacture of masonry mortars. However, this type of steelmaking waste is not easily mixed with the other components, resulting in separation of the mix water and insufficient hydration, which prevents proper setting and hardening of the mixes. Two types of new-generation admixtures were used, in order to facilitate the interaction of the LFS with the cement paste: polyacrylic ester PAE polymers and a polymeric emulsion with a high molecular weight in different proportions. Their influence on the mortar properties in the fresh state, dosed with variable amount of LF slag, is studied. The results show the greater efficiency of the polyacrylic ester PAE admixtures at retaining the mix water, guaranteeing proper hydration of the mortar components and dispersion of the cement paste and the complete hydration of the LF slag.

Permeability and Porosity on Lightweight Mortars Fabricated with Polyamide Powder Wastes

This paper presents the results obtained in the production of lightweight mortars where different amounts of sand were replaced by polyamide powder wastes. The characterization of the materials obtained was carried out in fresh and hardened state, considering especially the vapor permeability and micro and macroporosity properties. It has been found that the progressive increase of polymer influences the behavior of the mortar, increasing the water vapour permeability as well as the total porosity of the material, which carried on a decrease in the density of the composites fabricated. These results suggest the employment of polyamide powder residue as sand could be useful with the aim of manufacture recycled lightweight masonry mortar.

Manufacture of Masonry Mortars with Melamine Powder Waste and Melamine Paper from the Manufacture of Agglomerated Particle Boards

Our presentation develops the study of cement mortars manufactured with melamine waste, either in the form of powder or cellulose paper, taken from the industrial production of particle boards, characterizing all of their properties and comparing them with traditional cement mortars. The objective is to determine in what way the addition of melamine powder and melamine paper will modify traditional mortar, once these materials have been subjected to a polymerization process under pressure and under increased temperature, in order to assess the possibility of using these new materials for applications in the construction industry. The behaviour of mortar in the fresh state is studied, determining the variations produced with the addition of melamine powder and melamine paper on the workability and the on-site use of these mortars. Likewise, their mechanical properties under flexion, compression, and adherence to a ceramic surface are studied and compared with those obtained from the reference mortar. Water absorption by capillary action and vapour permeability are also studied, in order to understand the interaction of the polymerized melamine in the capillary network of the mortar. Dosages were prepared for a reference mortar and a further two series of mortars with different quantities of melamine powder and melamine paper, together with cement, sand and water. In this first phase, the use of additives in the mixtures was not considered. The process of selecting the materials and the dosage criteria of the mixtures are subsequently described. The results of the study show that the use of powder melamine and paper cellulose melamine can be used to manufacture mortars with properties that are equivalent to traditional mortars, although further studies with greater precision will be needed on the contribution of the melamine polymerization process to the internal structural cohesion of the mortar.