Other properties electrical conductivity, fire safety and recycling

10 Other properties electrical conductivity, fire safety and recycling 

Phenolic composites have been the material of choice when fire safety is the main criterion for the selection of building materials. Due to the intrinsic properties of the matrix, phenolic composites do not support a flame, and when exposed to fire they produce little or no smoke, which is less toxic than the smoke produced by other composites, particularly those containing certain halogenated flame retardants (Johanson, 2005). 

Thermosets such as phenolic thermosets cannot be melted or solubilized because they form a cross-linked stmcture after curing, unlike thermoplastics that can be melted several times (Goto and Santorelli, 2010). 

Phenolic thermosets can be recycled using a mechanical recycling system such as milling or crushing, and the obtained powder material can be used as a filler or additive for new thermosets (Goto and Santorelli, 2010). 

Recycling of composites is not easy because recycling involves the matrix and the fiber, which are chemically different (Goto and Santorelli, 2010 Gardziella et al., 20(X) Cardona et ah, 2012). 

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