Safely Storing & Disposing of Epoxy Resin…
One of the many things we are cognoscente about in the epoxy resin business is the proper handling of our polymer, and proper procedures for resin disposal. We endeavor to ensure that our manufacturing and fulfillment processes harness stringent procedures designed to establish forward-thinking ecological policies to best address the life cycle of epoxy resin.
Established industry leaders on the topic of the recycling and reuse of epoxy resin (and avoiding resin disposal altogether), like Materials Today/Reinforced Plastics Magazine and Composites World have examined and expounded on this topic. A recent idea (based upon research by Connora Technologies – more below) is to create polymers whereby their thermoset “cross links” are designed to be broken (thermoplastic epoxy). Thus, the fibers can be captured without chopping or shredding and the resin is recovered for reuse.
Recyclable Performance Composites
Connora Technologies Recyclamine, a “revolutionary epoxy resin system, enables the next generation of performance composites and adhesives to be recyclable for the first time. The system delivers chemical resistance and mechanical properties similar to conventional but nonrecyclable amine-cured epoxies.” The company’s technologies enable the development and manufacture of completely recyclable thermoset polymers.
Only a small percentage of epoxy resins are currently created using Recyclamine Hardeners. The good news for our Epoxy Pros, however, is that fully cured epoxy resin is inert and completely safe, making resin disposal a non issue. Plus, unused portions of epoxy resin and hardener have a long-shelf life and may be stored and saved for future projects as outlined in “How do I dispose of epoxy resin and clean my tools & containers?”
Properly disposing of epoxy resin safely is part of the responsibility of using this polymer. As stated above, cured epoxy is inert and may be disposed of along with other waste. However, uncured epoxy resin should be taken to your local waste recycling center for proper resin disposal. For small amounts of leftover resin from a project – simply allow to fully cure – and then it may be placed along with regular refuse.
