Impact of Aggressive Media on the Properties of Polymeric Coatings with Solidification Products as Fillers

Abstract

Dealing with waste materials, particularly hazardous waste, is a serious problem. Disposal areas keep growing, and the costs incurred are high. Disposing of such waste reduces negative environmental impacts and offers considerable financial savings. This paper focuses on the possibilities of incorporating pollutants found in hazardous wastes as fillers in coatings based on polymers (epoxide and polyurethane). These coatings are intended mainly for concrete and metal bases and offer secondary protection against adverse weather conditions. Important physical and mechanical properties of the newly developed materials were determined; they include surface hardness, impact resistance, tensile properties, and chemical resistance. These properties were also compared to those of the reference filler. At the same time, the influence of aggressive media on the properties of these materials was observed, in particular on flexural characteristics. The microstructures of the developed coatings were tested using a high-resolution optical microscope, before and after exposure to the chemicals. The positive effect of using progressive fillers, such as solidified hazardous waste (a solidification product (SF)), was witnessed by their constructive contribution to the materials’ physical and mechanical properties. The use of solidification products is unambiguously advantageous from technical, ecological, and economical stand points (utilization of hazardous waste as a progressive filler instead of landfilling, improvement of tensile properties, reduction in the price of coating system, and incorporation of the pollutants into the polymer matrix).Dealing with waste materials, particularly hazardous waste, is a serious problem. Disposal areas keep growing, and the costs incurred are high. Disposing of such waste reduces negative environmental impacts and offers considerable financial savings. This paper focuses on the possibilities of incorporating pollutants found in hazardous wastes as fillers in coatings based on polymers (epoxide and polyurethane). These coatings are intended mainly for concrete and metal bases and offer secondary protection against adverse weather conditions. Important physical and mechanical properties of the newly developed materials were determined; they include surface hardness, impact resistance, tensile properties, and chemical resistance. These properties were also compared to those of the reference filler. At the same time, the influence of aggressive media on the properties of these materials was observed, in particular on flexural characteristics. The microstructures of the developed coatings were tested using a high-resolution optical microscope, before and after exposure to the chemicals. The positive effect of using progressive fillers, such as solidified hazardous waste (a solidification product (SF)), was witnessed by their constructive contribution to the materials’ physical and mechanical properties. The use of solidification products is unambiguously advantageous from technical, ecological, and economical stand points (utilization of hazardous waste as a progressive filler instead of landfilling, improvement of tensile properties, reduction in the price of coating system, and incorporation of the pollutants into the polymer matrix).