Abstract
The study investigates the effect of the content and size of wheat bran grains on selected properties of a lignocellulosic biocomposite on a polyethylene matrix. The biocomposite samples were made by injection method of low-density polyethylene with 5%, 10% and 15% by weight of wheat bran. Three bran fractions with grain sizes <0.4 mm, 0.4–0.6 mm and 0.6–0.8 mm were used. The properties of the mouldings (after primary shrinkage) were examined after their 2.5-year natural aging period. Processing properties, such as MFR (mass flow rate) and processing shrinkage, were determined. Selected physical, mechanical and structural properties of the produced biocomposite samples were tested. The results allowed the determination of the influence of both the content of bran and the size of its grains on such properties of the biocomposite as: color, gloss, processing shrinkage, tensile strength, MFR mass flow rate, chemical structure (FTIR), thermal properties (DSC, TG), p-v-T relationship. The tests did not show any deterioration of the mechanical characteristics of the tested composites after natural aging.
Highlights
The use of composite polymer materials is a common practice that allows adaptation of material properties to even most demanding requirements of the automotive, electrical, aviation and household industries [1,2]
The main advantages of their use are higher stiffness and the reduction in processing shrinkage and flammability—the properties that were a significant limitation for the use of unmodified thermoplastic polymers [1,7]
The presented research included the determination of the processing characteristics of the tested biocomposites by injection method, determination of the influence of wheat bran on the thermal properties and visual features of the tested composition, and the assessment of the influence of bran on the mechanical characteristics of the composition over long periods of time
Summary
The use of composite polymer materials is a common practice that allows adaptation of material properties to even most demanding requirements of the automotive, electrical, aviation and household industries [1,2]. All kinds of natural fillers used in polymer composite production are called lignocellulosic materials due to their chemical structure [18]. The use of biofillers obtained from natural waste provides obvious benefits, such as reducing the consumption of petrochemical polymers [41], rapid degradation in environmental conditions [42,43], lower price [44], lower density [45], reduction in tribological wear of processing tools [45,46] and higher availability [47] compared to mineral fillers. The presented research included the determination of the processing characteristics of the tested biocomposites by injection method, determination of the influence of wheat bran on the thermal properties and visual features of the tested composition, and the assessment of the influence of bran on the mechanical characteristics of the composition over long periods of time
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