Mechanical, thermal, viscoelastic performance and product application of PP- rice husk Colombian biocomposites

This work presents the results of a study on the use of Colombian rice husk (RH) for property modification of unfilled Polypropylene (PP). RH is an agro-industrial by-product generated in the rice mills after the separation process of the grain. Here, RH particles were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and 3D microscopy. PP-RH biocomposites were prepared using extrusion and injection molding processes with RH loadings of 10, 20, and 30 wt %. Also, the manufacture of PP-RH based products through an industrial scale injection molding process was explored. Results showed that biocomposites tensile and flexural modulus increased up to 63 and 75% respectively as compared with neat PP. However, the elongation at break decreased as the RH loading increased. TGA studies reveal that RH addition increases the thermal stability of the PP matrix up to 63 °C. Also, DMA and 3d microscopy showed improvements in the biocomposites dimensional stability due to RH addition. Finally, it was possible to manufacture and study a product of a PP-RH biocomposite through an industrial scale injection molding process. This study explores the real possibilities of this agro-industrial by-product to be used as reinforcement for polymer matrix composites

• Autores: Hidalgo Salazar, Miguel Ángel; Salinas Caicedo, Elizabeth
• Tipo de recurso: Article of journal
• Fecha de publicación: 2019
• Institución: Universidad Autónoma de Occidente
• Repositorio: RED: Repositorio Educativo Digital UAO
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:red.uao.edu.co:10614/11529
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/10614/11529; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2019.107135
• Palabra clave: Biocomposites; Polypropylene; Polypropylene; Colombian rice husk; Injection molding; 3D macroscopy; Organic wastes; Agricultural wastes; Residuos orgánicos; Residuos agrícolas
• Rights: openAccess
• License: Derechos Reservados - Universidad Autónoma de Occidente