Recycling waste: a sustainable route to high performance particulate composites

In Italy several Mton of industrial residues and by-products gathers each years, which may be usually sent to either incineration or landfill disposal, thus reducing the overall industrial processes sustainability. In the paper the sustainability of manufacturing processes to obtain particulate composites are re-examined in view of the relevant recycling of some particulate industrial by-products and waste, simply considering the by-products as “second” raw materials. Some real cases are then examined and discussed from the point of view of the final performances of the obtainable composite material, which may be outstanding in comparison with those of composite materials made with conventional components. The improvement of the relevant sustainability factors are then evaluated and discussed together with the basic new approaches to design.