This study is aimed at utilizing nutraceutical industrial waste and reducing carbon footprints of plastics. Eco-friendly ''green composites'' of high density polyethylene (HDPE) were fabricated using coleus spent (CS)-a nutraceutical industrial waste as reinforcing filler and maleic anhydride-graft-polyethylene (MA-g-PE) as compatibilizer. Composites were fabricated with 5, 10, 15, and 20% (w/w) of CS by extrusion method. The fabricated HDPE/CS composites were evaluated for mechanical and thermal behavior. A slight improvement of about 5% in tensile strength and marked improvement of about 25% in tensile modulus for 20 wt % CS filled HDPE composites was noticed. The effect of CS content on rheological behavior was also studied. Thermal characteristics were performed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).TGA thermogram indicated increased thermal stability of CS-filled composites. From TGA curves the thermal degradation kinetic parameters of the composites have been calculated using Broido's method. The enthalpy of melting (DH m ) obtained from DSC curves was reduced with increase in CS content in HDPE matrix, due to decrease in HDPE content in composite systems. An increase in CS loading increased the water absorption behavior of the composites slightly. Morphological behavior of cryo-fractured composites has been studied using scanning electron microscopy.

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Mechanical properties and three-body abrasive wear behavior of 5 and 10% w/w bio-based coleus spent (CS) filled and unfilled semi interpenetrating polymer network composites of unsaturated polyester/polymethyl methacrylate (80/20) have been studied. The tensile strength and elongation at break has been evaluated using 4302 Hounsfield Universal testing machine. The effect of abrading distances viz., 150, 300, 450, and 600 m and different loads of 22 and 32 N at 200 rpm on the abrasive wear behavior have been studied using dry sand/rubber wheel abrasive test rig. The CS filler lowered the mechanical properties and improved abrasion resistance of USP/PMMA SIPN. The tensile strength of the composites lies in the range of 25.0-33.1 MPa. The wear volume loss and specific wear rate as a function of abrading distance and load were determined. The wear volume loss increases with increased abrading distance/load for all composites tested. However, the specific wear rate decreased with an increase in abrading distance/load. CS filled USP/PMMA SIPN composites showed better abrasion wear resistance as compared to unfilled USP/PMMA SIPN. The worn surface features have been examined using scanning electron microscope. Also, the wear volume loss was correlated with the product of tensile strength and elongation at break.