Abstract
This work reports on the production and characterization of recycled high density polyethylene (R-HDPE) composites reinforced with maple fibers. The composites were produced by a simple dry-blending technique followed by compression molding. Furthermore, a fiber surface treatment was performed using a coupling agent (maleated polyethylene, MAPE) in solution. FTIR, TGA/DTG, and density analyses were performed to confirm any changes in the functional groups on the fiber surface, which was confirmed by SEM-EDS. As expected, the composites based on treated fiber (TC) showed improved properties compared to composites based on untreated fiber (UC). In particular, MAPE was shown to substantially improve the polymer–fiber interface quality, thus leading to better mechanical properties in terms of tensile modulus (23%), flexural modulus (54%), tensile strength (26%), and flexural strength (46%) as compared to the neat matrix. The impact resistance also increased by up to 87% for TC as compared to UC. In addition, the maximum fiber content to produce good parts increased from 15 to 75 wt% when treated fiber was used. These composites can be seen as sustainable materials and possible alternatives for the development of low-cost building/construction/furniture applications.
Highlights
Plastic waste is one of the major solid residues today
The formulation of composite materials is an interesting option, and the scientific community is focused on the use of virgin [9,10,11,12,13] and recycled [14,15,16,17,18,19,20] polymers as matrices for the production of natural fiber/plastic composites (NFPC) in order to reduce the polymer content and find added-value applications for these wastes that can lead to more sustainable solutions
To do so, recycled high-density polyethylene (R-HDPE) composites reinforced with a hardwood residue with different concentrations (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 wt%) were produced with and without maleated polyethylene (MAPE)
Summary
Plastic waste is one of the major solid residues today. More than 300 million tons of plastics are produced annually, of which 50% are single-use plastics (SUP) [1]. The formulation of composite materials is an interesting option, and the scientific community is focused on the use of virgin [9,10,11,12,13] and recycled [14,15,16,17,18,19,20] polymers as matrices for the production of natural fiber/plastic composites (NFPC) in order to reduce the polymer content and find added-value applications for these wastes (plastics and natural fibers) that can lead to more sustainable solutions. It was shown that the use of maleated polyethylene (MAPE) in solution improves fiber–matrix interactions, mainly in terms of the adhesion and dispersion of maple fiber in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) composites [23].
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