• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2014

The use of sustainable technologies such as supplementary cementitious materials, and/or recycled post-consumer environmental wastes is widely used in concrete industry in the last decade. This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation of normal concrete containing sustainable technologies. Twenty one mixtures (21) were prepared with different combinations of silica fume, fly ash, olive's seed ash, and corncob ash (CCA). Fresh and hardened concrete properties were measured, as expected the inclusion of the sustainable technologies affected both fresh and hardened concrete properties. Based on the results obtained in this study and the analyses conducted, the following observations were drawn: replacing the cement by olive's seed ash or CCA has a significant effect on fresh concrete workability. Olive's seed ash increased the slump by more than 200 % compared to the control mixtures. The compressive strength of mixtures containing olive's seed ash showed by 45 and 75 % decrease compared to the control mixtures. The 28 days compressive strength of mixtures produced by CCA of 10 % replacement decreased by 41 % compared to the control mixture.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.21-28
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• 2008

Using the post-consumer waste and edge scrap mixed PET with small amount PP air filter elements of automobiles. It was studied that these mixed waste plastics of the various types of the PET were practicable for the material recycling. Various waste PET/PP plastics were collected, crushed, dried in vacuum, and extruded to recycled PET/PP chips. These chips were mixed with three kinds compatibilizers, EVA, MBS, and recycled PVB of the ratio of $3{\sim}10wt.%$ for the purpose of the compatibility for the post-consumer waste and edge scrap. We investigated mechanical and thermal properties of PET/PP mixtures which were compound with the weight ratio of compatibilizers. Compatibilizer, MBS application was showed the most excellent mechanical properties in the range of the $3{\sim}5wt.%$ EVA application was displayed good impact strength and thermal property in the range of $3{\sim}5wt.%$ Last, recycled PVB application was showed poor mechanical properties in the whole range ratio of the PVB.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2020

PCR PET flake's market endeavors difficult situations of its oversupply and decreasing demands in South Korea. Since China banned the import of most recycled plastics, flake producers who mostly export the flakes lost their biggest market. The producers struggled to survive in the competitions with PCR PET flake from EU and 3^rd countries but it was challenging due to substandard quality and increasing cost. Attempts to improve the quality of PCR PET flake have been made but they were only an individual company's efforts. The objective of this study was to understand the market status on PCR PET flake in South Korea and to present suggestions for improving its quality. The results of the questionnaires targeted to flake producers showed that no testing methods on PCR PET flake were standardized and there were critical factors to the quality such as moisture content, contaminants, and viscosity. Case studies of US, Japan and other countries had been done especially about testing methods and 76 samples from 21 companies were tested according to those methods. Based on the results, the final factors were decided as contaminants, moisture content, alkalinity index and intrinsic viscosity. There is a plan to standardize testing methods and they could be guidelines to improve the business competitiveness of PCR PET flake in South Korea.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.669-679
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• 2018

In this paper the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column connections under cyclic loading was analyzed. The specimens, manufactured in a reduced-scale were made of (a) recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) by replacing 30% of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) with recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and (b) RAC incorporating Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber i.e., PET fiber-reinforced concrete (PFRC) at the joint region. PET fiber (aspect ratio=25) of 0.5% by weight of concrete used in the PFRC mix was obtained by hand cutting of post-consumer PET bottles. A reference specimen was also prepared using 100% of NCA and subjected to similar loading sequence. Comparing the results the structural behavior under cyclic loading of RAC specimens are quite similar to the reference specimens. Damage tolerance, load resisting capacity, stiffness degradation, ductility, and energy dissipation of the RAC specimens enhanced due to addition of PET fibers at the joint region. PFRC specimens also presented a lower damage indices and higher principal tensile stresses as compared to the RAC specimens. The results obtained gave experimental evidence on the feasibility of RAC for structural use. Using PET fibers as a discrete reinforcement is recommended for improving the seismic performance of RAC specimens.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.335-342
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• 2011

The virgin and recycled polyethylene composites with various ratio of fly ash were manufactured by using a fully intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder for the reuse of fly ash from power plant and post-consumed polyethylene. Fly ash were blended with virgin HDPE and recycled polyethylene at the weight fraction of 0 to 40 wt.%. Mechanical properties such as yield strength, abrasion resistance, and slow crack resistance were measured with ISO and ASTM standards. The experimental results for the various composites showed that the elongation at break and the yield stress of the composites decreased with increasing fly ash contents. Generally, the abrasion resistance of PEs decreased with increasing sandpaper grits but the abrasion resistance of the composites increased with fly ash content at finer abrasive surface. The slow crack growth resistance of virgin HDPE, recycled JRPE and the JRPE composite showed higher slow crack growth resistance up to 50% of load at notch depth of 20% and 30%, but KRPE and the KRPE composite showed much lower resistance than virgin HDPE, JRPE and the JRPE composite. Time to break, measured with NCLS test method, of all PEs and the composites satisfies the regulation of Korean Industrial Specification for sewer pipe and support application.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.745-756
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• 2023

Growing stringent global regulations in Korea poses a threat to corporate sustainability. Companies must respond strategically to navigate these regulations and avoid greenwashing. Objective of this research was to analyze how Korean companies are responding to the global trend of reducing plastic use and propose improved management strategies. Seven indicators were developed to assess companies' post-plastic strategies and applied to analyze the sustainability reports of Amore Pacific and LG Household & HealthCare. These indicators included, 1) disclosure of plastic raw materials used by weight or volume, 2) disclosure of recycled plastic raw materials used by weight or volume, 3) disclosure of waste recycling, reuse amounts, and disposal using waste treatment method 4) strategies to reduce environmental impact of plastics, 5) plastic packaging, reduce, recycle, reuse, and composting (in the real environment), 6) plastic management roadmap for the circular economy, and 7) education for sustainable plastic management. Based on the review of considered companies, we propose in-listed sustainable plastics management strategies: disclosing the ratio of plastic raw materials and recycled raw materials for all products, considering recycling rate throughout the product value chain, and not only for the production phase, reviewing carbon dioxide emissions based on life cycle assessment rather than reducing plastic consumption, studying the biodegradability of biodegradable plastics in natural environment such as soil, considering the consumer's perspective.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2016

A new route for PBT (Poly butylene terephthalate) production from recycled PET (Poly ethylene terephthalate) has been explored. The route consists of glycolysis of PET (Poly ethylene terephthalate) wastes using 1,4-butandiol into BHBT oligomers and polycondensation of the oligomers into PBT oligomer. This process uses post-consumer or post-industrial recycled PET and converts it into high-end PBT type engineering thermoplastic via a chemical recycling process. Zink acetate was used as a catalyst for both glycolysis and polycondensation. Two types of reactor for the glycolysis, batch and semi-batch reactor, were investigated and their performances were compared. Semi-batch reactor removes ethylene glycol (EG) and THF (tetrahydrofuran) during the reaction. Amounts of EG and THF generated during the glycolysis reaction were measured and used as criteria for the reactor performance. Performance of semi-batch reactor was shown to be better than that of batch reactor. Optimum reaction condition for the semi-batch reactor was BD/PET ratio of 4, and reaction temperature of $220^{\circ}C$, giving high EG yield (max 91%) and low production of THF. In addition, it was confirmed that the molecular weight of PBT oligomer increases in accordance with the progress of the polycondensation reaction.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.34-40
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• 2001

Post-consumer dairy HIPS bottles were gathered and recycled by the following processes; crushing into flakes, chemical treatment for the purpose of elimination aluminium caps, washing, and separation from other plastics, such as PP, PE, plasticized PVC These HIPS flakes were extruded into the chips using a single screw extruder. Recyclate HIPS chips were mixed with fly ash as an additive in the range of 5-50 wt%, which were formed from coal power plant. Recyclate HIPS chips mixed with fly ash were molded to investigate thermal and mechanical properties. Their samples, thermal and mechanical properties were measured via DSC, TGA, UTM, and impact strength analysis. The probable mechanical properties exhibited the range of 5∼30% fly ash contents for their applications.