Polypropylene Composites Reinforced by Marine Posidonia Fiber Waste: Effect of Silane and Alkali treatment

Authors

Saoussen Zannen, Textile Engineering Laboratory, Monastir University, ISET Ksar Hellal, Monastir 5070, TunisiaFollow
Mohammad Kanan, Industrial Engineering Department, Jeddah College of Engineering, University of Business and Technology, Jeddah 21448, Saudi ArabiaFollow
Mohamed Ben Hassen, Textile Engineering Laboratory, Monastir University, ISET Ksar Hellal, Monastir 5070, TunisiaFollow
Mohammed Khouj, Industrial Engineering Department, Jeddah College of Engineering, University of Business and Technology, Jeddah 21448, Saudi ArabiaFollow
Faouzi Sakli, Textile Engineering Laboratory, Monastir University, ISET Ksar Hellal, Monastir 5070, TunisiaFollow
Ahmad S. Barham, Department of Chemistry, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, JordanFollow

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of chemical treatment and the reinforcement rate on the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites reinforced with Posidonia waste fibers. Increasing the reinforcement rate from 20% to 30% improved Young’s modulus and the flexural modulus of the composite. Silane treatment had a positive effect on all the mechanical properties of the composite; on the other hand, the alkali treatment improved the tensile strength but decreased the flexural property of the composite. The greatest Young’s and flexural moduli were obtained in the case of 30% reinforcement treated with silane. The increases in these properties were 57.95% and 44.84% for the tensile and flexural moduli, respectively, compared to pure polypropylene. The mechanical properties of the composite obtained were higher than those of hemp and jute produced under the same conditions using the single-screw extrusion process. The results show that Posidonia waste fiber is an effective candidate to be utilized to produce composites for the automotive industry, such as rear shelves, boot linings, spare wheel compartments, and interior doors, and that it has economic and ecologic advantages in comparison with hemp and jute fibers.

Recommended Citation

Zannen, Saoussen; Kanan, Mohammad; Ben Hassen, Mohamed; Khouj, Mohammed; Sakli, Faouzi; and S. Barham, Ahmad (2023) "Polypropylene Composites Reinforced by Marine Posidonia Fiber Waste: Effect of Silane and Alkali treatment," Information Sciences Letters: Vol. 12 : Iss. 7 , PP -.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/isl/vol12/iss7/21