Sustainable repurpose of end-of-life fiber reinforced polymer composites: A new circular pedestrian bridge concept.

In response to global challenges in resource supply, many industries are adopting the principles of the Circular Economy (CE) to improve their resource acquisition strategies. This paper introduces an innovative approach to address the environmental impact of waste Glass Fiber Reinforced-Polymer (GFRP) pipes and panels by repurposing them to manufacture structural components for new bicycle and pedestrian bridges. The study covers the entire process, including conceptualization, analysis, design, and testing of a deck system, with a focus on the manufacturing process for a 7-m-long prototype bridge. The study shows promising results in the concept of a sandwich structure utilizing discarded GFRP pipes and panels, which has the flexibility to account for variabilities in dimensions of incoming products while still meeting mechanical requirements. The LCA analysis shows that the transportation of materials is the governing contributing factor. It was concluded that further development of this concept should be accompanied by a business model that considers the importance of the contributions from the whole value chain. • Waste streams from composite manufacturing are used as source material in the innovative concept design of a new product. • The new concept design is a pedestrian bridge deck system made of decommissioned glass fibre composite pipes and panels. • Novel deck panel mechanically tested to failure, with failure load of 48 kN (more than three time the design load). • A Life cycle assessment shows that environmental impact can be reduced by repurposing existing composite structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]