The present work aims at determining the potential of date palm wastes to be applied as reinforcement in polypropylene. For this, fibers were separated from the raw biomass via mechanical defibration in Sprout Waldron equipment. Then, three different treatment strategies were adopted on the fibers, being (i) mechanical, (ii) chemical with NaOH, and (iii) enzymatical with xylanases and pectinases. Fibers were characterized in terms of chemical composition, morphology and SEM. Additionally, PP was reinforced with date palm fibers and the composites’ stiffness was evaluated. The analysis was performed from a macro and micro mechanical viewpoint. The incorporation of 40 and 60 wt.% of DPF-E enhanced the Young’s modulus of PP by 205 and 308%, respectively. The potential of enzymatically treated fibers to replace glass fibers in composites was studied, exhibiting similar stiffening abilities at 60 wt.% of date palm fiber (6.48 GPa) and 40% of glass fibers (6.85 GPa). The intrinsic Young’s modulus of the fibers was set at values around 16, 20 and 24 GPa for mechanical, chemical and enzymatic fibers. From the micromechanical analysis, the efficiency of the reinforcement as well as the contribution of the length and orientation to the Young’s modulus of the composite was evaluated.
In this work, date palm waste (DPW) stemming from the annual pruning of date palm was used as reinforcing filler in polypropylene (PP) matrix at 40% w/w. Three pre-treatment routes were performed for the DPW, namely (i) defibration, (ii) soft alkali treatment, and (iii) enzymatic treatment, to obtain date palm fibers (DPF) and to investigate the effect of each process on their chemical composition, which will ultimately affect the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. The enzymatic and alkali treatment, combined with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent, resulted in a composite with higher strength and stiffness than the neat PP. The differences in the reinforcing effect were explained by the change in the morphology of DPF and their chemical surface composition according to the selected treatment of DPW. Enzymatic treatment maximized the tensile strength of the compound as a consequence of an improvement in the interfacial shear strength and the intrinsic resistance of the fibers.
Date palm waste is an abundant agricultural residue in Tunisia and can be used for plastic reinforcement. Moreover, its use in plastic composites can help to reduce dependence on fossil resources for material production. In this work, the valorization of date palm residues was studied by employing high-yield processes following mechanical, chemical, and enzymatical treatments. Fibers obtained by soft chemical treatment with sodium hydroxide and enzymatic treatment with xylanases and pectinases were evaluated for their use in the reinforcement of plastic materials. The flexural strength property, truly relevant for structural, construction, automotive, or other market sectors, was adopted to assess the reinforcing potential of the fibers. Polypropylene was effectively reinforced with date palm fibers (60 wt.%), exhibiting a flexural strength increases of 80% (73.1 MPa), 93% (78.5 MPa), and 106% (83.9 MPa) for mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic fibers, respectively. The different treatments had an impact on the chemical composition of the fibers, and by extension on the final properties of the composites. The holocellulose content could provide good interfacial adhesion using a coupling agent, whereas the lignin content improved the dispersion of the phases. Two interesting outcomes were that the flexural performance of enzymatic fibers was like that of wood composites, whereas the specific flexural strength was comparable to that of glass fiber composites. Overall, the present work has shown the potential behind date palm waste in the composite sector when a specific property or application is desired. Novel treatments have been used for greater fiber compatibility, increasing the sustainability of the process, and improving the applicability of the palm residue.
In this work, date palm waste (DPW) stemming from the annual pruning of date palm was used as a reinforcing filler in polypropylene matrix at 20–60 wt.%. Only a grinding process of the DPW has been performed to ensure no residue generation and full utilization. The present work investigates how the DPW use affects mechanical properties and water absorption of the ensuing composite. The effect of the addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent on the composite properties was also studied. It was shown that the reinforcing potential of DPW was strongly dependent on aspect ratio and interface quality. The MAPP addition resulted in a composite with higher strength and stiffness than the neat PP, meaning that DPW behaves as reinforcement. The difference in the reinforcing effect was explained by the change in the quality of the interface between date palm waste and the polypropylene polymeric chain.
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