Characterization and Evaluation of Employment in Rigid Packaging of Polypropylene Composites with Bamboo Fiber

Abstract

The packaging industry is the industrial segment that, historically, is one of the largest consumers of polymers, highlighting the great use of polypropylene. Seeking to reduce the consumption of non-renewable raw materials in packaging, this work aimed to study the use of bamboo fiber in polypropylene composites with 15wt% and 25wt% of fiber. Also, the mechanical and thermal properties were evaluated. The density and fluidity of the composites were compared with the virgin polymer. Regarding the density of the composites, it was observed that this was not significantly affected by the addition of fibers. In the melt flow index of the composites, it was observed that the fluidity of the composite with 25wt% bamboo fiber was reduced by more than 50%. The fluidity of the composite with 15wt% fiber has not undergone considerable change compared with the data of the virgin polymer. In tensile analysis, the only property that increased with adding fibers to the polymer was the modulus of elasticity. The impact resistance analysis showed that the composites significantly increased impact resistance and energy absorption. It was concluded that the composites of PP with bamboo fiber showed potential application in the packaging industry.