Mimusops elengi Seed Shell Powder as a New Bio-Filler for Polypropylene-based Bio-Composites

Influence of the Design Solutions of Extruder Screw Mixing Tip on Selected Properties of Wheat Bran-Polyethylene Biocomposite

“…Such a large addition of a biofiller, which due to its hydrophilic nature is not fully compatible with hydrophobic PE, causes the separation of polymer chains, reduces their mobility, and hinders the crystallization of PE. Similar behavior has been described for bioorganic composites containing lignocellulosic material and starch [1,89]. In the DSC curves of the first heating process, another additional endothermic effect is visible in the temperature range from 30 to 105 °C.…”

“…Polymeric materials are gradually replacing and displacing metals, paper, glass, and other traditional construction materials from common applications due to their low weight, good strength properties, freedom of design, and the low cost of material and its processing [1]. The rapidly growing demand for inexpensive materials caused an increase in the production and consumption of polymeric materials, which resulted in the generation of significant amounts of plastic waste [1,2]. Improper management of this waste has led to considerable environmental pollution [1].…”

“…The rapidly growing demand for inexpensive materials caused an increase in the production and consumption of polymeric materials, which resulted in the generation of significant amounts of plastic waste [1,2]. Improper management of this waste has led to considerable environmental pollution [1]. Due to the long period of natural decomposition of plastics, landfilling, which is the main method of waste disposal, is highly inefficient.…”

“…They are intended to replace or at least reduce the consumption of traditional petrochemical plastics. The development and production of biodegradable materials seems to be the cheapest and most effective method of effective waste management [1,[3][4][5]. Examples of thermoplastic polymers meeting these requirements include: polyvinyl alcohol, polycaprolactone, and polylactide produced by means of synthesis, as well as cellulose, chitin, and starch obtained directly from natural sources.…”

“…To address this issue, chemical modifications of the filler are applied by mercerisation, benzoylation, acetylation, silanation, or grafted copolymerisation [59,60], which couple the hydrophilic filler with the hydrophobic matrix, forming indirect chemical bonds [61,62]. Nevertheless, many researchers have abandoned the use of compatibilizers, thus achieving only an improvement in stiffness, but at the same time a decrease in tensile strength and elongation at break, which are still often satisfactory [1,14,50,63]. This is economically justified, because the high price of the compatibilizer eliminates the benefits of using a less expensive natural filler.…”