Incorporation of olive pomace as a natural filler in to the PA6 matrix: Effect on the structure and thermal properties of synthetic Polyamide 6

Abstract

In recent years, due to less environmental pollution, ecological products are recommended more and more by the different environmental unions and cooperation. To achieve this, industries have studied the use of composite materials based on natural resources because of their lightness, their resistance to corrosion, their biodegradability, and their wide availability. In the same context, the current work may open up a new way of developing an original biocomposite material by taking advantage of integrating Olive Pomace Powder (OPP) as a filler on the PA6 matrix. This technical polymer is one of the most widely used polymers thanks to its chemical and physical stability, thermal resistance, low cost, and availability.The dry OPP is used without any additional chemical treatment; it had particle sizes (160–250 μm). The PA6/OPP was prepared thanks to polymerization in situ, a new innovative way to fabricate our biocomposite. The rate of OPP varies from 5% to 20% by weight. The structural, physicochemical, and thermal behavior was determined using FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TGA-DTA techniques. The morphology of the samples was analyzed with the SEM technique. The results show that the addition of OPP does not diminish the properties of PA6 till a ratio of 20% by weight. The density and the crystallinity of PA6/OPP were almost unchangeable than PA6. It was also found that after adding 20% OPP, the crystalization temperature Tc and melting temperature Tm were the same as PA6, while the decomposition temperature Td increases slightly. These results show that this incorporation can be a way to valorize the OPP and on the other hand reduce the cost of the final product fabricating with the PA6 matrix.