Biocomposites were prepared with rice husk flour (RHF) (raw and alkalitreated) in a recycled polymer blend (RPB) using a co-rotating twin screw extruder. Modifications to the composite were carried out through fibre surface treatment with 4 wt.% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 3 wt.% maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses of raw and NaOH-treated RHF were performed. The effects of the interfacial modification (MAPE or/and NaOH) and filler loading (50 to 80 wt.%) on the mechanical, physical, and morphological properties were investigated. Improvements in the tensile strength and Young's modulus as well as reduction in water absorption and water loss were observed for raw RHF composites incorporated with MAPE. Alkalisation of fibres resulted only in an enhancement in elongation and impact strength. The composite with 70 wt.% RHF modified with only MAPE exhibited the highest tensile strength and modulus, 22.2 and 711.6 MPa, respectively. The general trend of the composite results exhibited some decrease in water absorption and water loss from untreated RHF composites with only MAPE modification as compared to the NaOHtreated composite, although a rougher surface for the treated fibres was revealed in SEM images.
Biocomposites of recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE)/recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) matrices with a high loading of rice husk flour (RHF) were fabricated through a two-step extrusion. The use of ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate (E-GMA) copolymer improved the compatibility of the immiscible rHDPE/rPET blend. Maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) was used as a coupling agent to increase the adhesion of the fibre–matrix interface. In this study, the effect of natural fibre loadings on rHDPE/rPET blends was examined. The water absorption process in the RHF-filled composites followed the kinetics and mechanisms of Fickian diffusion. Compared with samples without RHF, the rHDPE/rPET/RHF system had 58–172% higher tensile modulus and 80–305% flexural modulus. The thermal stability of the composites slightly increased with the addition of the RHF filler. The storage modulus of biocomposites was greatly enhanced by RHF. From these results, we can conclude that RHF can work well with rHDPE/rPET for manufacturing high loading biocomposite products.
Polymer blends based on recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) and recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) with and without ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (E-GMA) as compatibilizer were fabricated in a co-rotating twin screw extruder. The effects of rPET and compatibilizer content on the mechanical properties and morphological stability of rHDPE-rich blends were investigated. The rHDPE/rPET (75/25 wt/wt) blend compatibilized with 5 php (per 100 part of polymer) E-GMA showed an enhancement of about 7% -26% in tensile properties and flexural strength as compared with those of the neat rHDPE. The strain at break showed a decreasing trend as the rPET content increased. The addition of E-GMA to the rHDPE/rPET blends was found to recover the blend toughness as well as improving the compatibility between HDPE and PET. In this study, the highest strain at break was obtained for the rHDPE/rPET blends at 75/25 (wt/wt) composition with E-GMA content of 5 php. FTIR and SEM analysis of the compatibilized blends confirmed the chemical interaction and improved interfacial bonding between the two phases.
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