Composites made of a blend of plastics recovered from bottle caps reinforced with fibers from banana rachis waste. A Circular Economy Strategy in the Canary Islands

Abstract

The application of the Circular Economy can be a key answer to sustainability strategies and can reach peak importance in the outermost regions like the Canary Islands due to their limitations in the treatment of agroforestry and municipal waste. This paper explores the application of Circular Economy in the Canary Islands polymer transformation industry. The authors explore a polymer blend from plastic bottle caps recovered from the selective waste recollection that can be reinforced with banana fibers from the pseudostem and the rachis of the plants. The paper shows the potential and the competitiveness of the blends and the composite materials. The authors have found that the polymer blend can be used as a substitute for high-density polyethylene. The results show that composite materials with reinforcement percentages equal to or higher than 30 wt% offer higher mechanical properties and are more cost-effective than plastic blends. The paper shows the opportunity to create value from urban and agroforestry waste and at the same time prevent the dumping of these subproducts.