Development and Characterization of Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Lignocellulosic Wastes for Packaging Applications

Muhammad Sulaiman, Fahad Ali Rabbani, Tanveer Iqbal, Fahid Riaz (), Muhammad Raashid, Nehar Ullah, Saima Yasin, Yasser Fouad (), Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas and M. A. Kalam
Additional contact information
Muhammad Sulaiman: Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Material Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan
Fahad Ali Rabbani: Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Material Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan
Tanveer Iqbal: Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Material Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan
Fahid Riaz: Mechanical Engineering Department, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 59911, United Arab Emirates
Muhammad Raashid: Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Material Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan
Nehar Ullah: Department of Chemical Engineering, UET Peshawar, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Saima Yasin: Department of Chemical Engineering, UET Lahore, Main Campus, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Yasser Fouad: Department of Applied Mechanical Engineering, College of Applied Engineering, Muzahimiyah Branch, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas: Department of Mechanical Engineering, UET Lahore, New Campus, Kala Shah Kaku 39020, Pakistan
M. A. Kalam: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: In this work, the effects of different fiber loadings on the mechanical properties of the composites at the sub-micron scale were studied through nanoindentation followed by physical characterization. The composites were prepared by incorporating different loadings of wheat straw, corn stalk, and rice husk in polypropylene copolymer using a melt processing method followed by thermal–hydraulic compression technique. Nanoindentation experiments in quasi-continuous stiffness mode were performed on the surfaces of produced composites to study the composites’ elastic modulus, hardness, and creep properties. The obtained results expressed the in-depth study of the micro- and macro-level structure and behavior of particle interactions. The findings demonstrated that observable shifts in composites’ hardness, elastic modulus, and creep rate had occurred. The WS-reinforced biocomposite sheet showed the highest elastic modulus of 1.09 and hardness of 0.11 GPa at 40 wt% loading in comparison to other loadings. An impact strength of 7.55 kJ/m 2 was noted for the biocomposite at 40 wt% RH loading. In addition, optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water absorption, thickness swelling, and Vicat softening point studies were conducted on biocomposite sheets to evaluate differences in physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The outstanding mechanical performance of the newly developed composites makes them suitable for use as a biodegradable packaging material.

Keywords: agricultural waste; nanoindentation; polymer; softening point; Izod impact strength; water absorption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10161/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10161/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:10161-:d:1180093

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().