Abstract
The use of wood plastic composites (WPC) is growing very rapidly in recent years, in addition, the use of plastics of renewable origin is increasingly implemented because it allows to reduce the carbon footprint. In this context, this work reports on the development of composites of bio-based high density polyethylene (BioHDPE) with different contents of pinecone (5, 10, and 30 wt.%). The blends were produced by extrusion and injection-molded processes. With the objective of improving the properties of the materials, a compatibilizer has been used, namely polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA 2 phr). The effect of the compatibilizer in the blend with 5 wt.% has been compared with the same blend without compatibilization. Mechanical, thermal, morphological, colorimetric, and wettability properties have been analyzed for each blend. The results showed that the compatibilizer improved the filler–matrix interaction, increasing the ductile mechanical properties in terms of elongation and tensile strength. Regarding thermal properties, the compatibilizer increased thermal stability and improved the behavior of the materials against moisture. In general, the pinecone materials obtained exhibited reddish-brown colors, allowing their use as wood plastic composites with a wide range of properties depending on the filler content in the blend.
Highlights
In the past years, social awareness has significantly increased derived from environmental issues related to the generation of wastes, petroleum shortage, and the increasing need to reduce the carbon footprint [1]
This work reports on the development of composites of bio-based high density polyethylene (BioHDPE) with different contents of pinecone (5, 10, and 30 wt.%)
High density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most utilized commercial plastics, right after polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polypropylene (PP) in terms of production volume [4]. This is the reason for which BioHDPE or “greenpolyethylene” is a good solution for reducing the problems related to fossil resources
Summary
Social awareness has significantly increased derived from environmental issues related to the generation of wastes, petroleum shortage, and the increasing need to reduce the carbon footprint [1]. The worldwide plastic production is nowadays about 300 Mt/year, verifying the great amount of wastes that plastic industry produces [2] In this context, bio-based polymers can successfully reduce the use of fossil resources through the use of biomass or renewable resources, at the same time that they reduce the carbon footprint [3]. High density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most utilized commercial plastics, right after polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polypropylene (PP) in terms of production volume [4]. This is the reason for which BioHDPE or “greenpolyethylene” is a good solution for reducing the problems related to fossil resources. BioHDPE injected pieces can be used to produce either rigid parts or flexible films and packages [6]
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