Effect of thermomechanical pulp fibres and clay on the characteristics of HDPE- and LDPE biocomposites
For this research The Compound Company provided Yparex® RENEW 0H17 biobased compatibilizer based on maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (bioMAPE). The RENEW 0H17 bioMAPE has a bio-based content >97% and a maleic anhydride content of <2%.
Generally, both TMP and clay increased the mechanical strength of the biocomposites. The tensile strength increased from 19 MPa for neat HDPE to 30 MPa with 30 wt% TMP. Interestingly, the tensile strength of the biocomposite containing 20 wt% TMP and 10 wt% clay was significantly higher (34 MPa) than that of the biocomposite containing 30 wt% TMP (30 MPa). A similar trend was observed for the tensile modulus and impact toughness.
Although there are still some water absorption challenges for the biocomposites developed in this study, the measured levels of water absorption were relatively low (roughly 1-2% after 30 days), compared to biocomposites with other polymer matrices (e.g., PP and PLA).
The results show that Yparex® RENEW 0H17 work well in a biocomposite of TMP and PE.
Business Development Manager Mr Frank Huijnen of The Compound Company: “We are very happy with the findings. It’s another report showing that Yparex® RENEW 0H17 is a great coupling agent for biocomposites.”
