Mechanical Properties of Biocomposites Using Polypropylene and Sesame Oil Cake

Abstract

Sesame oil cakes (SOC) produced during sesame oil production can be classified as plant residues. This study aims to use SOC as a composite material for injection molding. A biocomposite containing polypropylene (PP) and SOC, namely PP/SOC, was developed and its mechanical properties were evaluated. PP/SOC is largely divided into Homo-PP/SOC (HPS) based on Homo-PP and Block-PP/SOC (BPS) based on block-PP. The specimens containing 0–50 wt% SOC were prepared through extrusion and injection molding. As a result of the evaluation, SOC acted as a reinforcement in the matrix, and HPS and BPS showed improved flexural modulus by 36.4% and 37.3% compared to the neat PP, respectively. Tensile strength, on the other hand, decreased by 58% and 55.1%, respectively. To analyze the cause of this, cross-section observation was conducted through scanning electron microscope (SEM), and phase separation and voids were confirmed to be the cause of this. Impact strength of PP/SOC tended to vary depending on the type of matrix. HPS increased by 30.9% compared to neat PP, and BPS decreased by 25%. This tendency difference appears to be the result of SOC inhibiting crystallization of PP, and it has been confirmed through x ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Moreover, PP/SOC can be manufactured at a low cost and is environmentally friendly because it utilizes SOC, a plant residue. It can also be applied to commercial products, such as food packaging, owing to its good moldability and improved mechanical properties.

Fabrication of textured functional ingredient based on apple: Sesame by-product

“…Agri-food byproducts from fruit and vegetable processing, grain milling, and oil extraction would be one of the accessible and cost-effective sources of dietary fiber (Wang et al, 2015). The presence of other bioactive compounds in wastes such as proteins, phenolic compounds, vitamins, and minerals also shows that they play an important role in promoting health [ 4 , 5 ]. Approximately 35% of the world's food and agricultural products are wasted each year; Global food waste has become a negative impact on the environment due to the problems associated with its accumulation [ 6 ].…”

Production of Thermoplastic Composites reinforced with Posidonia Oceanica Fibers

“…These fibers are used with thermoplastics or thermosets as a matrix. The most commonly used thermoplastics are polypropylene (PP) [6], polylactic acid (PLA) [7], polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). On the other hand, phenolic resins, epoxy resins, and polyester resins are the most commonly used thermosetting matrices [8].…”

Development and Characterization of a PLA Biocomposite reinforced with Date Palm Fibers

“…Additionally, they stand out as natural, ecofriendly, biodegradable, and recyclable materials. Authors in [9][10][11][12][13] delved into date palm derivatives due to their abundance and diverse fiber types (petiole, eachis, leaflets, fibrillium, bunch, pedicels, spathe, and thorns) [14]. Research on the mechanical characteristics of date palm frond stems was conducted in [15,16], in which a biocomposite material reinforced with two types of date palm fibers (rachis and leaflets fibers) at varying percentages (4%, 7%, and 10%) was investigated using contact molding for the manufacture of the biocomposites.…”

“…These polymers are divided into two classes: thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics, such as polypropylene (PP) [11,14] and poly-lactic acid (PLA) [5,9,[17][18][19] dominate as matrices for biological fibers, while thermosetting matrices [20] like phenolic, epoxy, and polyester resins are widely employed. Generally, the manufacturing process (method of production, nature of the fibers used, nature of the matrix, etc.)…”