Comparison of the Influence of Carbon Obtained from Kitchen Waste and Synthetic Carbon on the Tensile Properties of Polyolefins

Abstract

Due to its mechanical, rheological, and chemical properties high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is commonly used as a material for transport of various media. Low thermal conductivity (0.37 W/mK) limits usage of HDPE in the heat exchanger systems. This property can be improved by adding 20% synthetic carbon to the PE matrix which increases the thermal conductivity by 345% compared to the initial value of the thermal conductivity of pure PE. But this filler has an effect on the mechanical properties too, by enhancing or degrading them. Recently attempts have been made to reduce waste in all possible ways so the second direction of obtaining carbon in this paper is from household biological waste. The mentioned wastes contain cellulose, which is the most abundant carbon precursor. The bio-based carbon was prepared from the kitchen waste, especially from the remains of root vegetables like carrots, parsley, and potatoes. Synthetic carbon retains the same tensile strength as pure PE, while in PE with carbon from bio waste, the strength is reduced by 5 MPa, while the tensile modulus of the composite in both cases increases; in the case of carbon from kitchen waste by 25%, and in the case of synthetic carbon by 100%. In addition to PE, tests were also carried out on polypropylene (PP) to see any potential application for these two most common polyolefins.