Development of sustainable eggshell waste-polyester resin composite material for using as artificial rock

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the possibility of reuse of chicken eggshell waste produced in the food manufacturing industry for processing of sustainable eggshell waste-polyester resin composite materials for use as artificial carbonaceous rocks. For this purpose, composite specimens with different eggshell waste-polyester resin compositions in different particle sizes of the eggshell waste were prepared. The technical properties (flexural strength, water absorption, apparent porosity, and bulk density), microstructural evolution, and phase analysis of the produced composite materials were investigated. The results indicated that the composite materials containing up to 65 wt.% of chicken eggshell waste with flexural strength between 31.23 and 52.06 MPa, water absorption between 0.59 and 1.37 %, apparent porosity between 0.99 and 2.28 %, and bulk density between 1.59 and 1.71 g/cm3 are highly attractive for be used as sustainable artificial carbonaceous rocks in the civil construction.