Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization

Unrecyclable industrial rockwool fiber waste is a worldwide problem that demands an effective yet sustainable solution. This paper presents a work on repurposing industrial rockwool fiber wastes as fillers for rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. The fillers are varied from 1 to 10 wt% and the obtained rei...

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Main Authors: Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq, Zainal, Siti Zaima, A. Majid, Rohah, Yahya, Mohd. Yazid
Format: Article
Published: Korean Fiber Society 2023
Subjects:
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author Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq
Zainal, Siti Zaima
A. Majid, Rohah
Yahya, Mohd. Yazid
author_facet Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq
Zainal, Siti Zaima
A. Majid, Rohah
Yahya, Mohd. Yazid
author_sort Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq
collection ePrints
description Unrecyclable industrial rockwool fiber waste is a worldwide problem that demands an effective yet sustainable solution. This paper presents a work on repurposing industrial rockwool fiber wastes as fillers for rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. The fillers are varied from 1 to 10 wt% and the obtained reinforced foams are characterized for their thermal stability, combustibility, foam morphology, and mechanical response. Marked improvement in thermal stability was observed in the presence of rockwool inside the foam formulation as denoted by delayed thermal degradation temperatures. Unfortunately, a similar finding was not obtained for its fire-retardancy as no distinguishable differences in Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) and UL-94 combustion test was observed. Microscopy imaging indicated reduced cell size with increased filler loading, and the rockwool fillers are homogenously scattered within the polymer matrix. Drop in normalized compressive properties was detected, suggesting rockwool fillers pose no mechanical reinforcing effect on the foam other than through increased apparent foam and cellular density.
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spelling utm.eprints-1071032024-08-21T07:25:57Z http://eprints.utm.my/107103/ Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq Zainal, Siti Zaima A. Majid, Rohah Yahya, Mohd. Yazid TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery Unrecyclable industrial rockwool fiber waste is a worldwide problem that demands an effective yet sustainable solution. This paper presents a work on repurposing industrial rockwool fiber wastes as fillers for rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. The fillers are varied from 1 to 10 wt% and the obtained reinforced foams are characterized for their thermal stability, combustibility, foam morphology, and mechanical response. Marked improvement in thermal stability was observed in the presence of rockwool inside the foam formulation as denoted by delayed thermal degradation temperatures. Unfortunately, a similar finding was not obtained for its fire-retardancy as no distinguishable differences in Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) and UL-94 combustion test was observed. Microscopy imaging indicated reduced cell size with increased filler loading, and the rockwool fillers are homogenously scattered within the polymer matrix. Drop in normalized compressive properties was detected, suggesting rockwool fillers pose no mechanical reinforcing effect on the foam other than through increased apparent foam and cellular density. Korean Fiber Society 2023 Article PeerReviewed Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq and Zainal, Siti Zaima and A. Majid, Rohah and Yahya, Mohd. Yazid (2023) Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization. Fibers and Polymers, 24 (1). pp. 329-336. ISSN 1229-9197 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12221-023-00129-4 DOI : 10.1007/s12221-023-00129-4
spellingShingle TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq
Zainal, Siti Zaima
A. Majid, Rohah
Yahya, Mohd. Yazid
Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title_full Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title_fullStr Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title_full_unstemmed Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title_short Industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam: Preparation and characterization
title_sort industrial rockwool fiber wastes as reinforcement in rigid polyurethane foam preparation and characterization
topic TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
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