Cement-Polymer Composits from Recycled Polymer for Construdction Applications

Conventional cement based construction materials such as stucco and concrete are prone to cracking with poor thermal insulation, and are very permeable to water. Repair of deteriorated cement based structures is a major problem, and in United States alone repair cost is estimated to be over $100 billion range. Commercial stuccos are susceptible to cracking under the influenced of repeated fluctuation in temperature particularly in warm regions. In this regard, modified elastomers from recycled auto tires represent an efficient and low cost material for improving the desirable properties of commercial stucco. Our disposable land fields accumulate every 4 years an average of 500 million tires from passenger vehicles. These mountains of tires cause an esthetical catastrophe to the environment, and they are unsafe. They are a fire hazard, and are also a breading site for the growth of mosquitoes and rodents that are related to different diseases. MER proposed here an innovative two-in-one approach to addressing both of these problems. During Phase I, MER developed modified elastomers from waste auto tires (crumb rubber) by surface modifying crumb rubber in a very simple and inexpensive proprietary process. The treated and functionalized crumb rubber was incorporated in commercially available stucco (20:80 ratio by volume), and samples were molded and tested in accordance with ASTM standards. Test results showed remarkable improvement in desirable properties of commercially available stucco by incorporating MER¿s treated crumb rubber in stucco. During Phase II of this project, it is proposed to further optimize the surface treatment of crumb rubber and mix blend system, scale up the process, extend the technology to other building materials, demonstrate the feasibility in real world application, and perform detailed economic analysis. The proposed technology will find wide applications in construction industry.