Sandwich Composites from Recycled Plastic Bottles Combined with Epoxy Matrix and Fique Fabric

The use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has extensively turned into an environmental global issue that requires multiple approaches to give use or recycle this material. This investigation analyzes the incorporation of PET laminates from post-consumer two-liter soda plastic bottles in combination with a fique fabric as a natural fiber reinforcement and an epoxy resin as the matrix. The value of this composite is the combination of a solid waste material with natural fibers, as a strategy to reduce plastic pollution in high-performance applications. The developed composite is aimed to be used in structural and impact applications. The mechanical properties were evaluated via Charpy and flexural tests, while the microstructure of the composite was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. From the structural point of view, the sandwich-structure composite proved to be a strong material, while amazingly the energy absorbed in an epoxy-PET-fique composite formulation was found to be better under impact when compared to the neat resin and to the epoxy-fique composite.