Fiberglass Insulation

can fibreglass insulation blankets be broken down and reused in other applications.

I don't see why not. How about cutting the blankets into sheets and using them for home insulation, etc. It may be economical to convert the blanket back to fibres (through mechanical not chemical disassembly methods) and re-bind them into another shape.

How about cutting the blankets into sheets

They're already in sheets. They are insulation batts. I want to see if they can be used for something else.

Chopped strand FRP?

Fiberglass is used in the manufacture of gypum drywall. Perhaps contact one, if close enough.

Fiberglass is also used in concrete as reinforcing. You didn't tell us where you are, but mix plants are a lot more common than drywall plants.

Why not contact the folks at Dow Corning directly, see if they take the stuff back for recycling?

Cheers

Martin

I would resell them on local web boards or eBay

Hmmm, I can just see the add,,, 220,000lbs of fiberglass pink,, slightly used....

Cheers

Martin

Can some of it be donated to Haiti??

do the chemicals, binders and additives in this material restrict the possibility of breaking it down?

It's glass fiber, strings of glass and breaks down as glass.

Contact habitat for humanity

You can make high end car body and low end sink shower bath tub and hell lot it depend on you interest.

I have used fiber for bath tub and is better and cheaper.

Are the insulation batts contaminated in any way, say, with asbestos, lead paint chips, water, or mouse droppings? If so, it may be difficult to re-use. Not impossible...I have used it as a filler in fiberglass resin to bulk up the walls of septic tanks and such. If it is clean, of course, the best use for it would be AS insulation. Thats what it is made for after all.
When asbestos is removed from steam pipes in old buildings, it has to be replaced with something, after all.

*The dried and set FRP sheets are hard stuff to break.

My idea for reuse of the stuff can be based on the following possibilities..

1] Powder it by grinding and use it as a filling matter in fresh mouldings.

2] By soaking the sheet in the FRP resin solvent system without catalyst and see if gets solublized.

3]Try melt press or Microwave heating for possible fusing down possibility, which can lead to new recycling possibility.

4] Saw tooth based rotor blades can slice down and helpful in fragmentation of FRP moulds, which can be used up for insulative packings.

It all calls for low cost R&D efforts to decide further.

During our searching for applicable products for a Green-Globes capable school design recently (which may even get a grant to help pay the added costs of getting "LEED" certified), we looked for recycled-content products.

One of the easiest is high-recycled-content fiberglass ceiling panels.

Other recycled fiberglass products are also available, including bulk shredded-fiberglass for insulation.

What you need is to find a large scale collector, or a producer, that can receive or directly use your waste as a feedstock within economical shipping distance for cash or credit toward your purchase of new product.

These two resources assist in getting providers and users to find each other:

http://www.grn.com/a/0955.html

http://www.recycle.net/Glass/fiber/index.html

Try hitting up any applicable entries by others, reading a few of the links, and see if you can find a partner to work with long term - and thanks for doing what you can! Too many give up quickly and dump it, and fiberglass is an energy-intensive product worth recycling, even if it's just to shred it for cleaning, drying, then adding binders and reuse as a bulk insulator.

Not enough info. sorry.

Location: where are the blankets located please?

Size: What size are they, and how are they packaged?

Are you just looking for ideas? Or wish to sell them?

If so, how much do you want for them, as a lot?

All these things affect speculation of their possible use.

jt.

They said go for it.. but when I went, it had gone.

Thanks for all the replies. Its given me alot of ideas.

To give you more information on the product, it is still in its original packaging.
I am in Sydney Australia. I am trying to sell it back to CHina where i originally bought it from and i am trying to sell on ebay but the market is flooded with this product at the moment so there isnt any buyers.

There is no asbestos in these but the only thing I know is in one batch of these batts is Formaldehyde. About 25% of the total stock.

I am considering breaking it down mechanically but is glass fibre in batts too fine for use.

Cheers

From Tim Hawley Master Mech.

Here in Michigan we have companies that have a machine that can shred fine fiberglass and blow it into walls for insulation. Perhaps there is a company there that provides the same service.

Regards,

Tim

I believe your fiberglass insulation can be shredded and blown in for new insulation. Sounds like you should invest in one of these shredders, with the material you have you could do a great job in the insulation industry. The shredders are hooked up to a blower with flex pipe to blow the shredded fiberglass into the ceiling cavity. Be sure to wear your respirator when doing this job as the dust count is very high.