Abstract
Sesame oil cakes (SOC) produced during sesame oil production can be classified as plant residues. This study aims to use SOC as a composite material for injection molding. A biocomposite containing polypropylene (PP) and SOC, namely PP/SOC, was developed and its mechanical properties were evaluated. PP/SOC is largely divided into Homo-PP/SOC (HPS) based on Homo-PP and Block-PP/SOC (BPS) based on block-PP. The specimens containing 0–50 wt% SOC were prepared through extrusion and injection molding. As a result of the evaluation, SOC acted as a reinforcement in the matrix, and HPS and BPS showed improved flexural modulus by 36.4% and 37.3% compared to the neat PP, respectively. Tensile strength, on the other hand, decreased by 58% and 55.1%, respectively. To analyze the cause of this, cross-section observation was conducted through scanning electron microscope (SEM), and phase separation and voids were confirmed to be the cause of this. Impact strength of PP/SOC tended to vary depending on the type of matrix. HPS increased by 30.9% compared to neat PP, and BPS decreased by 25%. This tendency difference appears to be the result of SOC inhibiting crystallization of PP, and it has been confirmed through x ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Moreover, PP/SOC can be manufactured at a low cost and is environmentally friendly because it utilizes SOC, a plant residue. It can also be applied to commercial products, such as food packaging, owing to its good moldability and improved mechanical properties.
Highlights
Plastics exhibit excellent mechanical properties, productivity, and plasticity, and are used in many fields
Plastic is widely used in disposal products and its output is increasing with increasing human population
Biocomposites, which are a combination of biomass and conventional resins, have been developed and studied as alternatives to existing oil-based plastics to address environmental pollution problems [4,5]
Summary
Plastics exhibit excellent mechanical properties, productivity, and plasticity, and are used in many fields. Biocomposites, which are a combination of biomass and conventional resins, have been developed and studied as alternatives to existing oil-based plastics to address environmental pollution problems [4,5]. Sisal fibers contain rich crude fiber, which can be used to strengthen their mechanical properties. Joo et al proposed a composite pellet using spent coffee grounds (SCG) to reduce the social cost of byproducts and confirm that SCG improves the impact strength of biocomposites [11]. To this end, the present study proposes a biocomposite for injection molding utilizing sesame oil cakes (SOC) as biomass
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