Abstract
This study aims to analyze the influence of an agricultural residue, yerba mate (YM), on thermal and thermo-mechanical behavior of virgin polypropylene (PP) and post-consumer polypropylene (rPP) matrix material. 20, 30 and 40 wt.% of YM were loaded into PP and rPP by extrusion, followed by injection molding to prepare the specimens. TGA results showed that rPP composites had better thermal stability, which is in accordance with the crystallinity index obtained by DSC analysis. This analysis revealed that the crystallinity of rPP matrix composites showed no significant changes as YM fibers were added, as opposed to the virgin PP matrix composites, which showed a decrease in crystallinity. In addition, DMA and SEM analysis revealed comparable thermo-mechanical performance and better homogeneity of the rPP in relation to virgin PP composites. These results indicate a potential application of these “green composites” with additions of up to 40 wt.% of YM residues.
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