Potential use of reclaimed propylene glycol in manufacturing unsaturated polyester resins

Book · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:392404

Doherty, F W ^[1]

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1. Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

It seems as if the excitement and concern for using reclaimed materials in the FRP industry has not stabilized to a point at which either suppliers of raw materials and intermediates or the custom molders know exactly how to approach the demands of ``Make it green.`` Definitions of post-industrial and post-consumer are not clear. Support for those who are attempting to use recycled materials is not evident. Economics are in the wrong direction, and, in the FRP industry, development labs are swamped with every scrap someone has picked up before it went to a landfill to see if it can be used as a filler or reinforcement. One area that does need closer consideration is the potential use of reclaimed raw materials for use in manufacturing unsaturated and saturated polyesters. Thermoplastic additive for shrink control should also be considered. Approximately 32% (168 million pounds) of the polyethylene glycol (PG) produced in the US is used for unsaturated polyesters. About 18% is used along with some ethylene glycol (EG) as a functional fluid. About 98 million pounds of that group is for antifreeze products. Assuming normal winters, several million pounds of de-icing fluids could be reclaimed and cooked into unsaturated polyesters with little of the added cost typically associated with recycled materials.

• OSTI ID: 392404
• Report Number(s): CONF-9602107--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANTIFREEZE
DENSITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MANUFACTURING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MOLDING MATERIALS
POLYESTERS
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOLS
RECYCLING
VISCOSITY