Utilization of Wood Flour Waste as a Filler on Polypropylene Random Pipes Industry

Abstract

Intending to minimize the cost of production of pipes intended for construction and building activities and waste recycling, this research studies the physical and mechanical characteristics of high-performance polypropylene random (PPR), a new material extracted from a homopolymer polypropylene. The PPR was filled with untreated and treated wood flour (WF) particles at various content levels 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt. %. The density, melt flow rate, tensile strength, tensile strain, modulus of elasticity, and hardness are used to evaluate the quality of the material. The hydrophobic character of WF resulted from degradation in the physical and mechanical properties. The results showed that the density, the modulus of elasticity, and the hardness increased with the percentage of treated wood flour (TWF). As the percentage of WF increased, the melt flow rate decreased. The tensile strength and strain increased to 27.7 MPa and 543.25%, respectively at 20 wt.% of WF, with 14.8% and 6.65% reached gains compared to the untreated wood flour composites (UWFC) (24.04 MPa and 495.6%). The enhancement of the mechanical properties is thanks to the formed strong links between the particles of WF and the PPR after the thermal and alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The removal of hydroxyl groups in the TWF enhances the interfacial bonding between the filler and the PP matrix in the resulting composites. When WF is treated, it is well dispersed; and facilitates the transfer of stress from the matrix to the fillers. The optimum percentage of WF to add into the inner layer of PPR pipes is at a composition of the filler of 20 wt. %.