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Abstract

This paper investigates for the first time the effect of the amount of Maleic anhydride (MA) on blends of recycled polymers and date palm fibre composites. Recycled low density polyethylene (RLDPE) 20 wt%, recycled high density polyethylene (RHDPE) 40 wt%, and recycled polypropylene (RPP) 40 wt%, blends have been prepared. The recycled polymers, 10 wt% RLDPE, 35 wt% RHDPE and 35 wt% RPP, were used as the polymer matrix for preparing the composites with 20 wt% date palm fibre leaves and 1,2 wt% of MA. The composites were prepared by a two-step process, extrusion followed by injection molding. The results showed that the addition of MA by 1 wt% has the maximum effect in improving the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the material but reduced the hardness. Pure blend matrix showed higher % of elongation at break and hardness. Melting and crystallization points of the blends did not change with the addition of the fibre and MA, but an improvement in the thermal stability by 4 °C was achieved for the 1 wt% of MA composite compared to the composite without the MA, which is confirmed by the improvement in bonding between the blend matrix and the date palm fibre shown in the scanning electron microscope morphology photos.

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/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.EEP36
2012-10-01
2024-03-29
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http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/papers/10.5339/qfarf.2012.EEP36
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