Recycling of Epoxy/Fiberglass Composite Using Pyridine

This study presents a new approach to chemical processing using pyridine-based solvolysis to produce high-quality glass fiber from epoxy composites. Pyridine was chosen due to its solubility parameter, which precisely matches the parameters calculated for the epoxy matrix segment. Experiments with exposure in a pyridine medium demonstrated effective swelling and the potential for destruction. The solvolysis experiments were conducted in a round-bottomed flask with a reflux condenser and stirrer, under ambient conditions (20 °C) until the boiling point was reached (115.2 °C). Additionally, data from experimental studies conducted at subcritical temperatures before reaching 280 °C are presented. The dependences of changes in the mass of composites on time and temperature during the solvolysis process were determined. The tensile strength of the recovered fibers was examined, and thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine their properties. Fiberglass recovered at the boiling point is characterized by 91% tensile strength and 20% residual degradation products on the surface. The residual strength of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FGRP) is 70.3%. The use of subcritical pyridine helps improve the quality of plastic products made from recycled fibers. This process retains 93% of the residual tensile strength for fibers that have been processed at 250 °C for two hours. Recycled fibers also contain 2.82% organic components on their surfaces. Using this material results in an increase in flexural strength of FGRP by 16.1%, compared to the reference samples.