Upgrading Recycled Polypropylene from Textile Wastes in Wood Plastic Composites with Short Hemp Fiber

Abstract

This research reports the manufacturing and characterization of green composites made from recycled polypropylene obtained from the remnants of polypropylene non-woven fabrics used in the textile industry and further reinforced with short hemp fibers (SHFs). To improve the interaction of the reinforcing fibers with the recycled polymeric matrix, two types of compatibilizing agents (maleic anhydride grafted, PP-g-MA, and maleinized linseed oil, MLO) were added during melt-processing, the percentage of which had to remain constant concerning the amount of fiber loading to ensure complete reactivity. Standardized test specimens were obtained by injection molding. The composites were characterized by mechanical (tensile, impact, and hardness), thermal (DSC, TGA), thermomechanical, FTIR, and FESEM microscopy tests. In addition, color and water uptake properties were also analyzed. The results show that the addition of PP-g-MA to rPP was satisfactory, thus improving the fiber-matrix interaction, resulting in a marked reinforcing effect of the hemp fibers in the recycled PP matrix, which can be reflected in the increased stiffness of the samples. In parallel to the compatibilizing effect, a plasticizing effect was obtained by incorporating MLO, causing a decrease in the glass transition temperature of the composites by approximately 6 °C and an increase in ductility compared to the unfilled recycled polypropylene samples.