Effect of Sugarcane Bagasse, Softwood, and Cellulose on the Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of PP/PE Blend

Abstract

The usage of cellulosic fibers as fillers for thermoplastics has generated great interest due to their numerous advantages and benefits compared to conventional fibers. This article examines a comparative study on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE)/cellulose (sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and softwood (SW)) blend composites prepared through melt compounding. The morphology of the obtained PP/PE/SCB and PP/PE/SW blend composites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed reduced crystallinity of the PP/PE blend after fiber interaction. Thermal results showed that the PP/PE/SW blend was more thermally stable compared to the PP/PE/SCB blend. Additionally, the onset temperature of main degradation decreased with th e incorporation of extracted celluloses. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed that the introduction of SCB or SW raw fiber and extracted celluloses did not significantly change the melting and crystallization behavior of the PP/PE blend. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that the storage modulus of the PP/PE/SCB raw and PP/PE/SW raw materials were lower than their corresponding cellulose blend composites across the temperature range studied.

Keywords

• sugarcane bagasse
• softwood
• cellulose
• polypropylene
• polyethylene