Physical–mechanical properties and morphology of filled low‐density polypropylene: Comparative study on calcium carbonate with oil shale and coal ashes

Abstract

The main idea of this research is to explore the prospective of ashes accumulated during the energy production to be used as a filler for thermoplastics. The return of waste for processing into secondary raw materials is cost reducing and nature protective. In this study, low‐density polyethylene filled with CaCO3, burnt coal, and oil shale ash were produced and scrutinized. The optimal extrusion compounding and injection molding parameters are discussed. The effect of different filler load up to 30 wt% on the mechanical properties, structure, and morphology is investigated. It was found that the processing conditions for ash‐filled compounds are similar to CaCO3 filled. Mechanical properties such as tensile and impact strength of ash‐filled composites are also close to CaCo3 filled.