Eco-Gypsum Panels with Recycled Fishing NET Fibers for Sustainable Construction: Development and Characterization

Plastic waste is currently a major environmental issue but also plays a key role in the circular economy. Recycled plastics have become suitable for use in several applications, especially in construction, where they can improve the properties of conventional materials to enable sustainable development. This study designed new eco-gypsum composites containing recycled fishing net (FN) fibers and evaluated their mechanical, hygrothermal, fire and environmental performances. All the developed composites achieved the minimum standardized strengths. Regarding the impact hardness test, the composite with 40% recycled FN fibers (FN40%) reached a five times higher energy of rupture than the reference gypsum sample. Indeed, FN40% presented better properties in general, e.g., 33% less water absorption by capillarity, 17% lower thermal conductivity and 40% less environmental impacts. Moreover, the use of these FN40% gypsum composites was modeled in an LSF partition wall, and it was predicted that they increased the thermal resistance by 4.4%, taking traditional gypsum plasterboards (Ref.) with the same thickness as a reference. These promising results allow us to conclude that it is possible to obtain eco-friendly gypsum composite panels by incorporating recycled FN fibers, satisfying the mechanical resistance requirements (flexural and compressive) and even improving their impact hardness, as well as their functional performance regarding their hygrothermal behavior.