Mechanical and morphological characterization of recycled HD-PE bio-composites based on alfa fibers and natural pozzolan

Abstract

In this research work, waste plastic bottle caps made of high-density polyethylene (HD-PE) were reincorporated as a matrix and reinforced by alfa short fibers and natural pozzolan particles. Using different weight percentages of both fillers of 5 wt% up to 30 wt%, three types of biocomposite materials have been produced; alfa short fibers/ HDPE, pozzolan particles/HDPE, and alfa fibers pozzolan/ HDPE. Specimens for each type of the biocomposites were prepared through the compression molding method. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of different content of alfa short fibers and pozzolan particles on the mechanical and morphological properties of the recycled HDPE matrix. Tensile test results revealed an enhancement in the mechanical properties for the three types of the biocomposites, an increase in tensile strength reached the maximum of 3573 MPa plus an interesting improvement in Young’s modulus with a maximum value of 3696 MPa. The toughness of the neat recycled HD-PE decreased by 212% by adding the natural filler whereas the modulus of resilience exhibited an increase of 138% compared to the neat recycled HD-PE. Therefore, the good rheological behavior of these bio-composites makes it possible to produce competitive materials and allows the reduction of plastic waste in the environment.