Scholarly record

POLYMER COMPOSITIONS FROM LEATHER FIBERS (LEATHER SHAVINGS) FOR MORTAR IN CONSTRUCTIONS

Gabriel Zăinescu

Abstract

In tanneries, only approx. one-third of the total mass of raw hides and skins is converted to finished leather, while two-thirds become either dissolved or solid waste. As part of the natural materials category, usually considered waste, leather fibers introduced into cement mortar panels play a fundamental role in construction due to both insulation properties and mechanical strength. Waste is introduced as a powder or filler or as aggregates in the concrete mix, with energy, economic and environmental benefits. The originality and innovative contribution of the scientific paper consists in re-evaluation of tanned leather waste from the leather sector by turning them into raw materials with added value and using them in construction materials industry (In the field of paving), by developing new production concepts for new biocomposite materials. This paper presents the production of composite structures made of leather fibers (leather shavings), cement and leather fibers with rubber powder obtained from rubber waste. The paper also presents instrumental performance analysis of these composite structures based on leather fibers (IR-ATR, optical and electron microscopy, tensile strength and SEM-EDAX etc.).

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