Physical, mechanical and morphological properties of recycled polypropylene reinforced with sugar palm fiber filament

Ahmad Soberi, Nur Aqilah (2022) Physical, mechanical and morphological properties of recycled polypropylene reinforced with sugar palm fiber filament. Project Report. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Presently, polypropylene (PP) is plastic-based material that being widely used for commercial and household purposes along with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other thermoplastic material. The development of biodegradable polymer from recycling resources has been promoted by increasing environmental awareness to replace conventional non-biodegradable polymer in various applications. PP is one of the most affordable plastics available today, and it is used both as a plastic and a fiber in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, furniture assembly, and the aerospace sector. PP offers several benefits such as low cost, high melting point, sustainable and most important thing is, it is 100% recyclable. However, PP has become a major threat to the environment due to its nondegradable property. There are certain benefits of using natural fibers as reinforcement in 3D printing filament due to the rapid demand for renewable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly materials in many applications. The addition of natural fiber to polymer composites as reinforcement has created more “green” composites and can replaced conventional glass fiber and other synthetic fiber composites that possess manufacturing hazard. As a natural fiber, SPF is the key component that become one of the element for reinforment polymer composites. Sugar palm fiber (SPF) was extracted from sugar palm tree (Arenga Pinnata) which were usually found in Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Indonesia. In this study, SPF was successfully treated by alkaline treatment using 6% of sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH). The investigations of thermal properties were then carried out by using thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and diffraction scanning calorimetry (DSC). The fabrication of 3D printing filament using twin screw extruder machine by inserting different amount of sugar palm fiber loading (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%) into the polymer matrix as reinforcement to find the characteristic of their physical and environmental properties. A few tests have been done to analyze the physical, mechanical, and morphological properties of the filament. Overall, recycled polypropylene reinforced with sugar palm fiber are potential alternative to develop a new 3D printing filament material.

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