Oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre-filled poly (vinyl chloride) composites
2009
Aznizam Abu Bakar | Azman Hassan
Awareness of the advantages of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres has stimulated interest in their use to reinforce poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC). To produce OPEFB-filled PVC composites, PVC resin and the various additives such as calcium stearate, stearic acid, acrylic polymer, tin stabilizer and OPEFB were first dry-blended before being milled into sheets on a two roll mill. Test specimens were then hot pressed, after which the mechanical and thermal properties were investigated. The processability of the dry blends was also studied. The OPEFB contents were employed at 10, 20, 30 and 40 phr. The increase in OPEFB fibre content resulted in an improvement in flexural modulus at the expanse of impact and flexural strengths. The addition of OPEFB slightly enhanced the glass transition temperature but decreased the fusion time, end torque and thermal stability of the composites. The result showed that this research will benefit the palm oil industry and Malaysian public in general as new application is proposed for OPEFB to exploit the abundance of this agricultural waste and reduce environmental problems.
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