Abstract
Efficient large-scale recycling of polymeric wastes for automotives is of increased interest from ecologic and economic point of
view and represents an important goal for the car recycling industry. One alternative is to develop novel composite materials,
relying on waste car parts, for indoor or outdoor large-scale applications, without using small molecular plasticizer or other
additives but insuring a good compatibility for large percentages of thermoset plastics in the composite. Previous studies
confirmed the possibility of obtaining composites with competitive mechanical properties by using only recycled tire rubber and
plastics (HDPE and PET), by compression molding at optimized temperatures of 240-260 °C. The main problem to be solved is
to identify solutions for developing good chemical or mechanic-chemical interfaces. Further optimization targets the reduction of
the energy consumption, by reducing the curing temperature while preserving or enhancing the mechanical properties. The
addition of small amounts of wood waste (sawdust) proves to be a viable solution and optimized composites (rubber-HDPE-PETwood)
with very good mechanical properties obtained at curing temperatures of 150…160 °C are reported. The interactions
between components in the composites were investigated with Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) analysis and were confirmed
by the contact angle and surface tension measurements. The effect of the additives on the mechanical properties was evaluated by
tensile and compression strength measurements. The impact of inorganic fillers on the structural organization of PET-rubber
composites was studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).