Grantee Research Project Results

Nanoclay Reinforced Recycled HDPE to Replace PVC and PE Water Pipe Materials

EPA Grant Number: SU840159
Title: Nanoclay Reinforced Recycled HDPE to Replace PVC and PE Water Pipe Materials
Investigators: Na, Sukjoon , Youn, Sungmin
Institution: Marshall University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021 (Extended to November 30, 2022)
Project Amount: $24,946
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2020) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety

Description:

1. The project firmly embodies the P3 approach.  Environmental and economic sustainability will be achieved by utilizing post-consumer HDPE materials.  Social sustainability will be also addressed through participation and education.  In West Virginia and other parts of rural Appalachia, education and research opportunities for environmental sustainability are severely limited, resulting in a lack of awareness of the importance of sustainability.  To improve local stakeholders’ engagement and understanding about sustainability, this project will develop strong ties with federal/state agencies, private or public water utilities such as WV Department of Transportation.  The educational impact of the project will be promoted by integrating the research findings into the undergraduate and graduate courses.  In addition, results from the project will be impactfully promoted to local high school students and their parents/guardians with posters as a sustainable design, proposed by the student research team during various campus visit events.  This activity will help campus visitors to understand and learn about what P3 concepts are and their significances.  The Co-PI has currently participated in the development of dual credit engineering courses for high school students in WV, and this effort is supported by the Department of Education of West Virginia.  The Co-PI will incorporate the P3 approach into the development of these dual credit courses to increase the exposure of the P3 concept to high school students.

 

Objective:

1. Throughout the past few decades, the use of polyvinylchloride (PVC) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) has been steadily increasing in civil infrastructures and environmental engineering projects such as water pipeline network systems.  Although the use of PVC has diminished in many countries due to occupational health and safety risks associated with manufacturing and recycling processes, HDPE has continuously replaced conventional pipe materials such as steel, concrete, and other plastics.  Current HDPE pipes are made from pristine resin which directly relies on petroleum supply that is true sustainability concern.  Furthermore, the accumulated plastic waste has promoted concerns about environmental impacts.  Utilizing recycled plastics can suggest a solution to this concern.  However, recycled plastics are likely to possess inferior properties to the pristine counterpart, and have a higher risk of failure within the desired lifetime if they are directly applied to engineering applications.  To overcome these limitations, this project investigates a nanoclay-reinforced recycled HDPE as an alternative to the pristine HDPE pipe materials.  Polymer/nanoclay composites (PNC) have received considerable attention due to their improved material and mechanical properties.  Evidence from literature indicates that incorporating a small amount of nanoclay significantly increases mechanical properties and barrier resistance.  Chemical degradation resistance which is one of the critical requirements for water pipes, however, has not been intensively studied yet.  Thus, this project attempts to evaluate the applicability of nanoclay reinforced recycled HDPE as a potential water pipe material that can be applied in aggressive chemical environments.

Expected Results:

1. The project results will include: (i) design of a laboratory-scale environment chamber that simulates aggressive chemical conditions, (ii) design and preparation of pristine/recycled HDPE with or without nanoclay using an extruder and a 3D printer, and (iii) evaluation of the degraded mechanical and fracture properties by chemical attacks.  The research team will strive to understand the chemical degradation mechanism of a new advanced material that utilizes recycled plastics to improve environmental sustainability.  The outcomes from the project will be used to characterize the material response when subjected to expected chemical environments during the pipe service life.  The outcomes will guide pipe manufacturers in designing cost-effective and environmental-friendly pipes.  Consequently, the outcome will suggest a solution that integrates environmental, social, economic and technical considerations for the next generation that is the primary concern of EPA.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 3 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Green chemistry, sustainable development, renewable, waste reduction, waste minimization, environmental chemistry, engineering, sustainable materials, recycled materials, nanotechnology.

Progress and Final Reports:

2021 Progress Report

Final Report