Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2025

Department

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Abstract

This study aimed to (i) characterize municipal solid waste (MSW) sourced from Utah and Michigan transfer stations and (ii) upcycle, produce, and evaluate composites derived from this MSW. Composition analysis showed that the MSW was composed of a variety of commodity plastics, paper/cardboard, and inorganic materials. Detailed chemical analysis for lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lipids was performed. The plastics identified were mainly polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and poly (ethylene terephthalate). The compoundability of the MSW was assessed by torque rheometry. Composites were prepared by compounding the MSW in an extruder. A composite flexural strength of 29 MPa and a modulus of 1.0 GPa was achieved. The thermal properties of the composites were also determined. The melt flow behavior of the MSW composites at 190 °C was comparable to wood plastic composite formulations.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083719

Publication Title

Sustainability (Switzerland)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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