Mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy composites reinforced with food-waste fillers

Abstract

One of the assumptions of the zero-waste economy is to reduce the amount of industrial waste produced, process it, and recover it without burning or burying it. Citrus peels are among the food wastes that are difficult to recycle. Due to the long time of decomposition and the waxes and fats in their structure, the shells rarely end up in composters and, consequently, are not included in natural fertilisers. The assumptions fit into the research described in the article.The authors investigated the possibility of using ground peels of citrus fruits: grapefruit, key lime, lemon and orange as fillers in composite materials in which the role of the matrix was played by epoxy resin. Composite materials with 2.5, 5 and 10% filler content were prepared. The materials were tested using the tensile, hardness, and abrasive tests using the pin-on-disc method.The research was to answer whether adding citrus waste can change the physicochemical properties of composite materials based on epoxy resin and native resin. Particular attention was paid to the properties that are important from the point of view of engineering applications: mechanical properties and tribological properties.In the face of challenges related to the growing amount of waste from the food industry, joint materials engineering tries to answer whether this waste can be used in the production of composite materials. In several publications from recent years, it has been postulated that used food industry products can be used as fillers for composite materials, as they can, on the one hand, improve specific physicochemical properties of new materials and manage food waste.The tests proved that composite materials with grapefruit and key lime as a filler were characterized by the best tribological properties, mechanical properties, and hardness, which were unchanged or better than the epoxy resin used as a matrix.