Waste Glass Fiber Is New Low-Cost Reinforcement.

Instead of heading for the landfill, thousands of tons of waste from production of glass fibers could find use as a new low-cost reinforcement for thermoplastics and thermosets. Lancaster Fiber Technology Group (LET) Ltd. in Lancaster, U.K., has signed licensing agreements with PPG Industries of Pittsburgh to process waste from PPG's European fiberglass operations into "Fiberlets," a new E-glass short fiber. LFT plans to supply it in the U.S. and is already distributing samples. Fiberlets are expected to sell for less than half the price of chopped strand.

Fiberlets are free-flowing particles with a low aspect ratio (8-10:1). They pack more efficiently than chopped glass, so higher loadings can be achieved without raising compound viscosity. More than 70% by weight of Fiberlets can be put into thermoplastics, LET says. Experiments with PE, PP, and thermoset polyester BMC reportedly show that some or all of the chopped strand in a compound can be replaced with up to four times more Fiberlets by weight, resulting in higher modulus, HDT, and creep resistance with only marginal reduction in strength. Cost savings can exceed 30%, LET says. Fiberlets reportedly also have a synergistic effect with chopped glass because the short fibers protect the longer strands from breakage during mixing.