Recycling of waste cured epoxy molding compound as a filler in poly (vinyl chloride) composites

Pulverized mold residue of cured epoxy molding compound was reused to produce poly (vinyl chloride) composites with the aim to recycle resources in a more profitable and environmental concern way. The mold residue powder with functional groups on the surface was reactive to polar resins as the results of FT-IR spectrum (FT-IR). Mechanical tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), vicat softening point test (VST) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study effects of the adding content of the mold residue powder and molding parameters on properties of the PVC composites. The results showed that when molding pressure was fixed at 15 MPa, the optimum molding temperature and molding time were 200°C and 10 min, respectively. The maximum adding content of the powder was up to 70 wt%. When the mold residue powder content was 60 wt%, the PVC composites molded under optimum conditions showed excellent mechanical properties, with tensile strength of 30.33 MPa, flexural strength of 60.74 MPa and flexural modulus of 6.2 GPa. The DSC and VST test showed that the presence of the mold residue powder improved the heat resistance of the PVC composites. All the above results indicated that the reuse of mold residue powder as a filler in the PVC composites represented a promising way to recycle resources and resolve the environmental pollution problems.