Evaluation of laurel waste in thermoplastic composite production

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to produce thermoplastic composites from laurel waste. Mixed branch and leaf wastes obtained from laurel processing factories were separated and classified and then mixed with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) in a twin screw extruder. Materials were produced from the mixtures according to the hot press molding technique. Materials were characterized in terms of their mechanical, thermal and morphological properties. As a result of adding laurel branch and leaf waste to the polymer matrix, a decrease of up to 60% in tensile strength was observed. It has been observed that bending strengths increase up to 7% in low-filled samples, but on the contrary, they decrease up to 23% with the increase in the filling ratio. In addition, laurel branch and leaf wastes increased the hardness of the polymer. According to the thermal analysis results, it was seen that laurel branch and leaf wastes did not have a significant effect on the thermal properties of the materials. As a result of morphological examinations, it was determined that branch waste mixed well with the polymer, while leaf waste did not mix well.