Abstract
Application of lignocellulosic fillers in the manufacturing of wood polymer composites (WPCs) is a very popular trend of research, however it is still rarely observed in the case of rotational molding. The present study aimed to analyze the impact of wheat bran content (from 2.5 wt.% to 20 wt.%) on the performance of rotationally-molded composites based on a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) matrix. Microscopic structure (scanning electron microscopy), as well as physico-mechanical (density, porosity, tensile performance, hardness, rebound resilience, dynamic mechanical analysis), rheological (oscillatory rheometry) and thermo-mechanical (Vicat softening temperature) properties of composites were investigated. Incorporation of 2.5 wt.% and 5 wt.% of wheat bran did not cause significant deterioration of the mechanical performance of the material, despite the presence of ‘pin-holes’ at the surface. Values of tensile strength and rebound resilience were maintained at a very similar level, while hardness was slightly decreased, which was associated with the porosity of the structure. Higher loadings resulted in the deterioration of mechanical performance, which was also expressed by the noticeable rise of the adhesion factor. For lower loadings of filler did not affect the rheological properties. However, composites with 10wt.% and 20 wt.% also showed behavior suitable for rotational molding. The presented results indicate that the manufacturing of thin-walled products based on wood polymer composites via rotational molding should be considered a very interesting direction of research.
Highlights
The production of thin-walled products characterized by large sizes requires the use of specific production methods
Rotational molding technology can be considered beneficial from an ecological point of view; the aspect of low material losses and possibility of material recycling of after-use products compared to other thin-walled products manufacturing technologies, including extrusion blow molding or laminating, partly compensates for the significant amount of energy needed to produce a single product [4,5]
In the presented presented paper, we aimed to investigate the possibility of the application of of wheat bran as paper, we aimed to investigate the possibility of the application wheat bran a filler for linear low-density polyethylene-based composites manufactured by rotational molding
Summary
The production of thin-walled products characterized by large sizes requires the use of specific production methods. Due to the possibility of waste-free production of thermoplastic products with relatively low investment costs, rotational molding technology is increasingly used It displaces the technologies used so far, such as lamination or injection molding [1,2,3]. Rotational molding of thermoplastic polymers is a low-shear technology that, thanks to the long-lasting forming process, allows us to obtain thin-walled ready-to-use products without internal stress in one technological. Rotational molding technology can be considered beneficial from an ecological point of view; the aspect of low material losses and possibility of material recycling of after-use products compared to other thin-walled products manufacturing technologies, including extrusion blow molding or laminating, partly compensates for the significant amount of energy needed to produce a single product [4,5]
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