Abstract

Recently, a growing interest in investigating alternatives to synthetic fibers has been increased due to environmental concerns such as increased carbon footprints and waste management. Thus, various industries’ principal focus has been on developing Nano-sized filler from biomass material to manufacture products for an abundance application. Furthermore, to develop green composites in the industrial sector, extraction and Nano-sized fibers have proven desirable. From a commercial and environmental standpoint, chemical fragmentation and shrinking of waste lignocellulosic fibers to small particles is a potential alternative.

The aim of this research is to assess the mechanical and physical properties of two newly formulated nanocomposite materials. These composites are produced by blending recycled polypropylene (rPP), serving as the primary matrix, with either Nano date palm particles (NDPP) or Nano calcium dioxide particles (NCaP) at varying contents to act as reinforcing fillers. The process involves pulverizing date palm microfibers derived from agricultural waste into nano-sized lignocellulose fillers using a ball milling machine operating at an efficient speed of 12 cycles per hour. Subsequently, the two types of Nano fillers are mixed with rPP using a double screw extruder machine to fabricate the nanocomposites — Nano Date Palm Composite (NDPC) and Nano Calcium Dioxide Composite (NCaC). Compression molding is employed to produce sheets, and test specimens are prepared in compliance with ASTM standards for evaluation using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Results indicate that the highest tensile strength among the reinforced polymers was attained with 3% wt. NDPC and 2% wt. NCaC, exhibiting enhancements of 48% and 61%, respectively, compared to neat rPP. Moreover, flexural strength increased by 30% with 3% NDPC and by 38% with 2% NCaC over the neat matrix. While both nanoparticles resulted in a slight decrease in Young’s modulus — 15.6% with 3% NDPC and 2% NCaC — their inclusion enhanced elongation at break and flexural modulus, thereby augmenting the ductility of the neat polymer.

Morphological analysis via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is important to illustrate the crosslinking between the matrix and the nanoparticles. It revealed that 2% NCaC exhibited superior filler dispersion and greater physical interlocking with the polymeric matrix compared to 3% NDPC. In addition, physical properties illustrate the importance of the material density and melting flow rate to the manufacturer as indication of productivity of the composites. Therefore, NDPC displayed a lower density than NCaC, yet exhibited higher viscosity as indicated by Melt Flow Index (MFI) analysis. This is due to the density of the NDPP is higher than the NCaP. Consequently, NDPC, serving as a Nano bio-composite, offers economically viable and sustainable production prospects, showing promise for diverse industrial applications.

This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.