Development of compounds from ceramic waste as replacement for granite, wood, and other quality facings

• Grant number: 01/08476-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: January 01, 2002
• End date: June 30, 2005
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Carlos Galin
• Grantee: Paulo Carlos Galin
• Company: Perc Engenharia Ltda
• City: São Paulo

Abstract

The proposal contemplated is innovative with regard to the components of the compound, that is to say, the present project aims to develop a hybrid compound based on PMMA and inorganic materials on the national market, such as: assorted industrial waste, aluminum, granite dust, marble dust, glass dust, among others, which may confer interesting properties on the polymer such as those observed in the literature studied. The components of the polymer/ ceramic system were selected on the basis of properties and compatibility/stability of the mixture. However, other polymers and mineral loads will be tested to improve the performance and decrease costs. These products should be totally recyclable or possible to source in the environment without any great worries or controls. For the first time, the use of reticulation by ionizing radiation was proposed as a basic tool for this class of product. The application of radiation induced polymerization to the system composed of methyl methacrylate monomer base, mixed with other components will allow for fine control of the reaction, since radiation polymerization enables a greater control of the process, as the energy can be delivered directly to the reactive mass without heat transmission problems. In the application of this technique bubbles and products of thermal degradation are absent, since radiation dispenses with the use of radicalar initiators. The absence of residual monomers is also confirmed, since radiation allows for higher conversion than in any other process, eliminating the presence of monomers which can postpolymerize. In addition to this, in the case of irradiation by accelerated electrons, curing is immediate. (AU)