Abstract
Lignosulfonate is a cheap material available in large quantities obtained as a byproduct of paper and cellulose. In this work, blends of polypropylene (PP) and sodium lignosulfonate (LGNa) were developed to evaluate the potential use of lignosulfonate as a lightweight, thermal insulation and flame retardant material. The blends were obtained by mixing in a torque rheometer and molded after compression. The blend proprieties were evaluated by physical, morphological, thermal, thermal conductivity, and flammability tests. The measured values were compared with theoretical models. The results indicated that a heterogeneous blend with a higher number of separated domains is formed when the LGNa content increases from 10 to 40 wt%. In addition, the density and thermal conductivity coefficient of the blends studied are not affected by the addition of LGNa. However, when the LGNa content in the blend exceeds 20 wt% the thermal stability and flame retardant proprieties are considerably reduced. The theoretical models based on the rule of mixtures showed a good agreement with the experimental values obtained from blend density, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability. In general, lignosulfonate tested in this work shows potential to be used as a reactive component in polymer blends.
Highlights
Based on environmental and social concerns such as climate change, global warming, and the growing population in urban areas, government environmental regulations have been encouraging industries to replace inorganic materials by environmentally friendly alternatives [1,2]
This work focuses on the development and characterization of PP/sodium lignosulfonate blends that can be used as office partition panels and wall cladding
The morphological result confirms the formation of a heterogeneous blend with a cracked appearance
Summary
Based on environmental and social concerns such as climate change, global warming, and the growing population in urban areas, government environmental regulations have been encouraging industries to replace inorganic materials by environmentally friendly alternatives [1,2]. As reported in previous studies, the addition of lignosulfonate in polymers can improve the mechanical properties of the blend This behavior may be associated with the higher rigidity of the lignosulfonate based on its complex chemical structure formed by several aromatic rings in a three dimensional and highly cross-linked macromolecule, similar to the lignin structure. The literature lacks studies about other properties of polymer lignosulfonate blends and the usage of these blends to develop lightweight materials that can be used by the construction industries. In this way, this work focuses on the development and characterization of PP/sodium lignosulfonate blends that can be used as office partition panels and wall cladding. The morphological, physical, thermogravimetric, thermal conductivity, and flammability properties of the blends were evaluated and compared with theoretical results
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