Development and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate-rice Husk (PET-RH) Composites: Thermal Stability, Morphological Analysis, and Burning Rate Evaluation

Abstract

A polyethylene terephthalate – Rice husk (PET-RH) composite was produced from waste plastic water bottle and rice husk. Burning rate test, scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were employed to study the produced composite. The burning rate carried out on the composite revealed resistance to burning as result of the introduction of more PET material into the composite at varied proportions, it also revealed that to produce a more durable PET-RH composite, the ratio of PET to RH must be at optimum concentration to achieve a desired application. The SEM analysis revealed a well-structured morphology of the produced composite as there were less areas of fracture or unfilled fiber regions that could cause breakdown or fissure in the matrix of the composite. The TGA analysis of the produced composite revealed thermal stability of the PET-RH composite within the range 0 to 300 ℃ with a 20 % weight residue recorded in the temperature range 500 to 887 °C. The DTA analysis revealed and correlated with the results obtained from the TGA thermogram, whose initial drying was due to a 4 % loss in mass and a narrow endotherm which was visible at the 240 and 545 °C temperature range which corresponded to the pyrolytic stage visible in the TGA thermogram, this clearly suggested that the produced composite can serve in applications dependent on thermal resistant properties. Results so far obtained from this study suggested that the produced PET-RH composites exhibited good performance characteristics that could be likened to properties of conventional materials with the same matrix.