On the Use of Paper Sludge as Filler in Biocomposites for Injection Moulding

Abstract

The potential use of paper sludge (PS) as filler in the production of bio-composites based on poly lactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) was investigated. PS/PLA/PBAT composites, with addition of acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) as biobased plasticizer, were produced with PS loadings up to 30 wt.% by twin-screw extrusion followed by injection moulding. The composites were characterized by rheological measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mechanical tests (tensile and impact resistance) to study the effect of PS on the processability, thermal stability, crystallinity and mechanical performance of polymeric matrix. The optimized composites at higher PS content were successfully processed to produce pots for horticulture and, in view of this application, preliminary phytotoxicity tests were conducted using the germination test on Lepidium sativum L. seeds. Results revealed that developed composites up to 30 wt.% PS had good processability by extrusion and injection moulding showing that PS is a potential substitute of calcium carbonate as filler in the production of bio-composites, and the absence of phytotoxic effects showed the possibility of their use in the production of pots/items for applications in floriculture and/or horticulture.

A thermophysical investigation of the potential for the use of wastepaper for insulation building materials

“…This behaviour corresponds to the melting of CaCO 3 . This trend agrees with, 29 who studied paper sludge as filler in biocomposites.…”

“…The first loss is 0.35% at 100 °C, primarily due to a small number of water molecules trapped in closed pores. 27,29 The second is a 23.03% loss between 200 and 500 °C, the distinct exothermic peaks at this temperature interval with considerable weight losses related to the burning of organic fibres (cellulose). 9,11 And finally, 32.11% loss at 875 °C may be attributed to the decarbonisation of CaCO 3 , and a probable association with other minerals leads to the release of excessive kinetic energy.…”

“…The samples of 10 mg weight were heated from 50 to 800 °C at a heating rate of 10 °C/min under an inert atmosphere (nitrogen). 29,30 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The WP's FTIR spectra were conducted using an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) IRTF Bruker alpha spectrometer.…”

Prospects and problems in the development of biochar-filled plastic composites: a review

“…Melt extrusion and injection molding have been the most commonly employed methods for polymer composite formation because of their scalability potential [61]. These two are common because of their ability to process a large amount of material with the lowest degree of difficulty possible [77,78], and will be discussed in this section. Solvent casting, resin curing, and compression molding are other methods that have been employed for BC-filled polymer composite formation.…”

Effect of CaCO3 filler reinforcement on PLA matrix composites fabricated through injection moulding

“…Gigante et al used paper sludge, PLA are the reinforcements, matrix respectively and developed bio composites. 30% of paper sludge/ PLA composites exhibit better properties than other and suitable for floriculture and horticulture applications [16]. Koutsomitopoulou et al evolved the mechanical properties of olive pit-PLA reinforced composites and concluded that with the increase of the filler content, the tensile strength of the composites increases and decreases the flexural strength of the composites.…”