Upcycling of textile and footwear wastes for synergistical reinforcement of cement mortar

The utilization of waste polymeric materials from textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) industry as aggregates in the cement is a valuable approach to reduce plastic pollution. However, the low modulus of polymers and poor interfacial interactions with the cement deteriorate their applications. Herein, we report an upcycling strategy for the recovery of waste fabrics and footwear sole materials from TCF industry as cement mortar reinforcement. The exfoliation of fabrics and pulverization of footwear soles enable them to expose the reactive groups which can absorb Ca2+ dissolved in water, thus helping the formation of C–H–S gel at the organic–inorganic interfacial transition zones between polymers and cement. It was determined by laser confocal Raman spectra. Hence, the exfoliated polyester fibers can prevent the crack expansion of cement and the devulcanized sole elastomers can dissipate energy while subjected to the external force, synergistically enhancing the mechanical properties. The flexural and compressive strengths of cement containing 0.5 wt% PFW and 5 wt% EPW are 48.9% and 59.6% higher than the neat cement. This work suggests a new strategy to realize value-added utilization of waste polymers which are difficult to be classified and separated.