Recycle of Plastic Waste and Agricultural Waste

Manufacturing of polymer composites using plastic waste is one of the solutions to solve the environmental pollution problems caused by non-biodegradable polymer. In this study, Rice husk fiber Reinforced Polyethylene composites (RhRP) have been fabricated with rice husk fiber and plastic waste (recycle low density polyethylene) by compression molding method. Effect of fiber volume fraction, pressure and temperature on the properties of the composite samples was studied. In addition, mechanical properties, thermal properties and durability of RhRP composites were measured. Moreover, chemical modification of rice husk fiber was done through acid and aqueous alkaline solution. The modified fiber samples exhibit the higher strength as well as the lower water absorption rate compared with the unmodified fiber composite samples. Therefore, the resistance to aging of the composites in aqueous environment improved significantly for the modified composite samples. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was also used to characterize the surface feature and the interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix polymer. The modified composite samples reveal better interfacial adhesion than the unmodified composite ones. Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TG/DTA) was employed to determine thermal stability of the composite samples. The modified fiber samples have higher thermal stability than the unmodified composite ones.