Samenvatting

Bulk molding compound (BMC) thermoset (bio) composites are difficult to recycle because they
cannot be melted for reprocessing. However, this group of materials is often used in high-end
applications where strength and lightweight materials are required, such as boat hulls, aircraft parts,
car parts, windmill blades and others. At the end of the life cycle of these products there is no solution
for recycling.
Waste management is now a high priority within the European Union (EU). Concern for the
environment, both in terms of limiting the use of finite resources and the need of managing waste
disposal, has led to increasing pressure to recycle materials at the end of their useful life. So far
composite waste has been disposed in a landfill. A recent EU direction is to reduce the amount of
organic material landfilled. As a consequence, it is already illegal to landfill composites waste in
many EU countries. Therefore, there is a need for recycling routes for composite to be established and
potential technologies to be developed.

The current solution for the BMC thermoset (bio) composite issue is burying it as a landfill or burning
it to generate energy and there is no recycling solution. And due to the recent EU directions of
stopping landfill composites waste because it damages the environment, recycling methods should be
developed. A new approach in relation to this topic was used: mechanical recycling by shredding of
recyclate and its addition as a filler for the new bio composite. This approach showed a promising
result as the newly created composite had slightly greater strength properties and was slightly more
brittle. But it is clear that additional controlled testings are needed to help prove the properties of the
material and potentially improve them by adjusting the mixture.

The analysis of this problem statement finds its expression in the following Main Research
Question:
What is the relation between the properties of the recycled BMC thermoset (bio) composite material
and its mixture proportions?
For the purposes of this Research this Main Research Question shall be subdivided into the following
Research Sub-questions:
1. Can properties that are useful for the construction of the recycled composite material be
adjusted and targeted by adjusting the mixture proportion?
2. What are the properties useful for the material used for civil engineering?
3. In what structures are composite materials used in the Netherlands?
4. What is the amount of composite materials used in those structures?
5. What are the possible applications for the building industry of recycled bio-composite material
made?
6. What is the best method for recycling BMC thermoset (bio) composite into filler for a new
composite in lab-scale?