Improving the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites with coconut shell particles

Conventional inorganic fillers are widely used as fillers for polymer-based composites. Though, their processing difficulties and cost have demanded the quest for credible alternatives of organic origin like coconut shell fillers. Dried shells of coconut were burnt, ground, and sifted to sizes of 63, 150, 300, and 425 µm. The ground coconut shell particles (CSP) were used as a filler to prepare polypropylene (PP) composites at filler contents of 0% to 40% via injection melt blending process to produce PP composite sheets. The effect of the filler particle size on the mechanical properties was investigated. The decrease in the size of filler (CSP) was found to improve the yield strength, tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and hardness of PP by 8.5 MPa, 15.75 MPa, 1.72 GPa, 7.5 MPa, 100 MPa, and 10.5 HR for 63 µm at 40%, respectively. However, the elongation at break and modulus of resilience of the PP composites were seen to increase with increase in the filler size. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed that fillers with 63 µm particle size had the best distribution and interaction with the PP matrix resulting in enhanced properties.