Development of composite materials using HDPE and PP plastics wastes and cork oak Svetlana Petlitckaia, Toussaint Barboni, Paul-Antoine Santoni University of Corsica - CNRS UMR 6134 SPE e-mail: petlitckaia_s@univ-corse.fr; barboni_t@univ-corse.fr; santoni_p@univ-corse.fr Plastics are a revolutionary material widespread in everyday life [1]. However the pollution caused by plastics damages the environment, human health and the economy of different countries. The large volume of plastics requires strategies to improve the valorization of the waste generated after consumption in order to minimize impacts [2] . Several studies have shown that the use of recycled polymer for composites production can be a feasible alternative from an economical and environmental perspective [2-4] . The use of the waste materials as fillers and as a matrices for composite materials is receiving increasing attention as an approach to increasing the economic value of waste streams. In this study, a new composite material based on HDPE and PP waste from bottle caps and cork powder from unused cork (virgin cork) was developped, wich has a high capacity for thermal insulation. The composites were prepared with virgin and modified cork. The composite materials were obtained through twin-screw extrusion and injection moulding. The composites were produced with proportions of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % of cork powder in a polymer matrix. These composites were investigated in terms of mechanical, structural and thermal properties. The results showed that the addition of cork powder in the polymer matrix reduced the density of the composites. However, the incorporation of natural additive doesn’t have a significal effect on the water adsorption. Regarding the mechanical properties, the value of tensile strength decreases with the addition of cork powder ranging from 30 MPa to 19 MPa for PP composites and from 19 MPa to 17 MPa for composites. Evaluation of the flammability of the composites was performed using a cone calorimeter. The results of thermal analysis and fire tests show that it is important to add flame retardants to improve fire resistance. The feasibility of the composites based on cork and PP and HDPE wastes opens new ways of valorizing plastic waste and virgin cork. The formulation of composite materials must be optimized by adding bio-based flame retardants. References 1. J. Penca, European Plastics Strategy: What promise for global marine litter?, Mar. Policy 2018, 97, 197-201. 2. M. Ramos de Araujo Veloso et al., Sustainable valorization of recycled low-density polyethylene and cocoa biomass production, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2021, 28, 32810-32822. 3. L. Tauber et al., Wood polymer composites and their contribution to cascading utilisation, J. Clean Prod 2015, 110, 9-15. 4. M. Poletto, Thermoplastic composites with wood – a brief review, Rev. Interdisp. Ciencia, 2017, 2, 42-48. 5. O. Mertens et al., The utilization of thermomechanical pulp fibers in WPC: a review, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2017, 134, 4516.
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