Using polyethylene terephthalate bottle waste as a viable precursor for the synthesis of unsaturated polyester resin in fabrication of jute fibre reinforced composites

The present research effort employs glycolysed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle waste as a precursor for the synthesis of unsaturated polyester resin (rUPR). This resin is then used for manufacturing composites that are reinforced with jute fibres using the sheet moulding compound technique. The limited crosslinking of styrene in the rUPR was elucidated using a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The elevated exothermic reaction energy of 1152 kJ and the clearly identifiable peak observed at 1620 cm−1 in the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrum provided substantial evidence for this phenomenon. Additionally, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the recycled unsaturated polyester resin (rUPR) demonstrated a higher level of amorphous nature This observation can be attributed to reduced viscosity and enhanced ductility of rUPR. The utilisation of the rUPR as a matrix material has shown significant effectiveness in enhancing the tensile and flexural properties of composites reinforced with jute fibres. Thereby, the objective of this research is to develop a thermoset resin using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rUPR) waste material for identification its suitability in manufacturing composites with jute fibres as reinforcement. Graphical Abstract