No abstract

No abstract

The first aim of this study was to investigate mesoporous activated carbon adsorbents from sisal, hemp, and flax fibers by cost-effective methods. Fibers were impregnated with low concentration (20 wt.%) phosphoric acid. Carbonization temperatures were defined by thermal analysis. Bast fibers (hemp, flax) decompose at lower temperatures (419.36 C, 434.96 C) than leaf fibers (sisal, 512.92 C). The second aim was to compare bast and leaf fibers-derived activated carbon adsorbents by determining physical adsorption properties, chemical compositions, scanning electron microscope, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that natural fibers have good candidates to prepare mesoporous activated carbon adsorbents with high surface area (1186-1359 m 2 /g), high mesopore percentage (60-72%), and high C content (80-86%). Even though leaf-derived activated carbon developed more mesoporous structure (72%), bast-derived activated carbons provided higher surface areas (S hemp ¼ 1359 m 2 /g; S flax ¼ 1257 m 2 /g) and C content. Fourier transform infrared spectra for bast fibers-derived

The processing and characterization of polypropylene/eggshell composites was the main objective of this study. Natural source-derived calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was extracted from waste chicken eggshell and compounded with polypropylene polymer. The compound was molded using the Extrusion Compression Molding (ECM) process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis were conducted on the eggshell to characterize its constituents. The effects of filler loading, 30 wt.% eggshell and 30 wt.% eggshell with 5 wt.% of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) on the mechanical and thermal properties were studied. The addition of a small amount of MAPP during melt extrusion improved the dispersion and bonding of CaCO3 particles in polypropylene. 7.49% decrease in tensile strength, 35.51% enhancement in flexural modulus and 66.05% increase in notched Izod impact energy were obtained by adding 30 wt.% eggshell with 5 wt.% MAPP to polypropylene. Adding 30-wt % of eggshell filler and 5 wt.% MAPP to polypropylene delayed the flame propagation time by 99 seconds.