Optimized conditions for the grafting reaction of poly(methyl methacrylate) onto oil‐palm empty fruit bunch fibers

Abstract

This article describes the graft copolymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto oilpalm empty fruit bunches (OPEFBs) with a fiber length of less than 75 mm. The graft copolymerization was carried out under a nitrogen atmosphere by a free-radical initiation technique in an aqueous medium. Hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ions were used as a redox initiator/cocatalyst system. The PMMA homopolymer that formed during the reaction was removed from the grafted copolymers by Soxhlet extraction. Determining the effects of the reaction period, reaction temperature, and monomer concentration on the grafting percentage was the main objective, and they were investigated systematically. The optimum reaction period, reaction temperature, monomer concentration, and initiator concentration were 60 min, 508C, 47.15 Â 10 À3 mol, and 3.92 Â 10 À3 mol, respectively. The maximum percentage of grafting achieved under these optimum conditions was 173%. The presence of PMMA functional groups on OPEFB and the enormous reduction of the hydroxyl-group absorption band in PMMA-g-OPEFB spectra provided evidence of the successful grafting reaction. The improvement of the thermal stability of PMMA-g-OPEFB also showed the optimal achievement of the grafting reaction of PMMA onto OPEFB.

Tensile properties of a poly(vinyl chloride) composite filled with poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted to oil palm empty fruit bunches

“…The optimum conditions for the grafting reaction obtained from our previous study2 were used to produce OPEFB‐ g ‐PMMA fibers. The grafting and grafting efficiency percentages were found to be about 177 and 59%, respectively.…”

“…The grafted product was further treated with the Soxhlet extraction technique for the removal of PMMA homopolymer that formed during the reaction. The procedure of grafting was explained thoroughly in our previous work 2…”

“…To improve the fiber–matrix adhesion, therefore, the graft copolymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto OPEFBs with a fiber length of less than 75 μm was first conducted, and the results were characterized. On the basis of our previous study,2 the optimum reaction period, reaction temperature, monomer concentration, and initiator concentration were 60 min, 50°C, 47.15 × 10 −3 mol, and 3.92 × 10 −3 mol, respectively. In this study, these optimum conditions were used to prepare OPEFB fibers grafted with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and reinforced into a PVC matrix.…”

Flexural and Impact Properties of Poly (Vinyl Chloride) and Acrylic-Impact Modified Poly (Vinyl Chloride) Composite Filled with Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) Grafted to Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

“…A similar procedure from our previous study [17], the optimum conditions of grafting reaction obtained from the previous study [20], were scaled up and OPEFB Grafted with Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) 267 applied to produce OPEFB-g-PMMA fibers in bulk. The grafting percentage and efficiency were also found to be about 177 and 59%, respectively.…”

“…Finally, the grafted product was kept in an oven at 60 C for 24 hours until a constant weight was achieved. The grafted product was further treated using the Soxhlet extraction technique for the removal of PMMA homopolymer which was formed during the reaction [17,20].…”