Water Absorption, Thermal and Microstructural Properties of Plastic Composites Developed from Isoberlinia Doka Wood Sawdust and Polystyrene Wastes

Abstract

In this study, the water absorption, thermal conductivity and microstructural properties of Isoberlinia doka wood sawdust polystyrene composite, synthesised by the hand layup method, were investigated as a function of filler content. It was observed that the thermal conductivity increased with increase in the fibre loading. The thermal conductivity value obtained for the synthesised composite samples was an average of 0.147 Wm−1 k−1. The composites absorbed water until equilibrium was achieved on the 9th day. The maximum water absorbed at equilibrium for the composite with filler concentration of 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt% was 36.46, 40.34, 57.53, 128.65 wt%, respectively. The mass transfer kinetics revealed that water sorption rate increased at higher filler composition due to the increased interstitial pores and gaps that are exacerbated by increased fibre loading. The mass transfer kinetic constants for the composite with filler concentration of 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt% were 0.738, 0.661, 0.996 and 1.155 day−1. Microstructural analysis revealed that the dispersion of wood sawdust particles improved as the fibre loading increased.