Mechanical and Thermal Behavior of Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene Composites with Coal Mining Waste

The mining process in a coal industry is responsible for a large environmental impact, 60% of the total extracted are discarded and sent to a controlled dam due to its potential toxicological effect when exposed to the environment. On the other hand, polymer consumption has grown at an annual rate of 5%, exceeding 300 million tons/year. Therefore, the main objective of this work is the preparation of a composite using recycled low-density polyethylene polymer and coal mining waste, aiming to improve mechanical and thermal properties and mitigate the environmental impacts. Composites in fractions between 20 and 80% wt coal mining waste were prepared and characterized. Formulations with up to 60% of coal mining waste showed properties of interest for the development of new materials in civil and architectural construction.