The impact of a recycled mineral wool filler on the various properties of wood plasticcomposites was studied and the critical factors affecting the formation of the propertieswere determined. An estimation of the volume of mineral wool fiber waste generated inthe European Union between the years 2010-2020 was presented. Furthermore, the effectof fiber pre-treatment on the properties of the wood plastic composites were studied, andthe environmental performance of a wood plastic composite containing recycled mineralfibers was assessed. The results showed that the volumes of construction and demolitionwaste and new mineral wool produced in the European Union are growing annually, andtherefore also the volumes of recycled mineral wool waste generated are increasing. Thestudy showed that the addition of recycled mineral wool into composites can enhancesome of the mechanical properties and increase the moisture resistance properties of thecomposites notably. Recycled mineral wool as a filler in wood plastic composites canalso improve the fire resistance properties of composites, but it does not protect thepolymer matrix from pyrolysis. Fiber pre-treatment with silane solution improved someof the mechanical properties, but generally the use of maleated polypropylene as thecoupling agent led to better mechanical and moisture resistance properties. Theenvironmental performance of recycled mineral wool as the filler in wood plasticcomposites was superior compared to glass fibers. According to the findings, recycledmineral wool fibers can provide a technically and environmentally viable alternative tothe traditional inorganic filler materials used in wood plastic composites.
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