Upgrading Mixed Plastic\nWaste through Industrial Symbiosis:\nPseudoductile Regenerated Cellulose Fiber-Reinforced Shredder Residue\nComposites

The mechanical performance\nof mixed plastic waste from shredder\nresidue is hindered by brittleness and catastrophic failure, limiting\nits potential applications. In this study, the mechanical properties\nof mixed plastic is enhanced by reinforcement with rayon fibers through\na wet powder impregnation process to leverage the fiber's ductility\nand entanglement. However, mixed plastic remains poorly dispersed\nin water during the composite manufacturing, resulting in poorly consolidated\ncomposite, which further deteriorates the mechanical properties of\nmixed plastic from 1.5% strain-at-break to 0.7%. To address this issue,\nthe addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant is explored,\nwhere the optimal concentration is found beyond the critical micelle\nconcentration at 10 mM. Lowering the surface tension of water and\nthe adsorption of the SDS on the mixed plastic powder surface facilitated\nhomogeneous dispersion of mixed plastic particles, resulting in well-consolidated\nrayon fiber-reinforced composites. The 30 wt % rayon fiber-reinforced\nmixed plastic composite prepared with SDS demonstrated a progressive\nfailure behavior, exhibiting a strain-at-break of 8% and a remarkable\n350% increase in impact strength compared to unreinforced mixed plastic.\nThis approach provides a platform to overcome the inherent limitations\nof mixed plastic waste, offering waste-derived plastic alternatives\nand reducing the need for fossil-derived virgin materials for a wide\nrange of noncritical applications.