Investigating the mechanical and insulation performance of waste eggshell powder/epoxy polymer for power insulation application

Abstract

In an effort towards the optimization of materials for industrial application, composite technology has been identified to provide an effective way to improve the performance of insulating materials used in power system applications. Clay and synthesized metal oxide micro- and nanoparticles have been used as fillers in host polymer materials. In this study, the focus is on the development of composite polymeric insulation using particles from animal shell waste for use in electrical and electronic power systems. Epoxy composite samples were prepared with waste chicken eggshell powder and titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, respectively. Mechanical (tensile strength) and dielectric properties were studied, and high-voltage AC was used to evaluate the variation in electrical conductance with percentage composition of the filler particles in the epoxy polymer matrix. This was done by monitoring the leakage current through the epoxy polymer composites under high-voltage stresses in the range of 0.5–5 kV. The two polymer composites’ type has comparable loss tangent, but the eggshell powder-filled polymer samples displayed higher dielectric constant and lower electrical conductance at high voltage compared with the TiO2 nanoparticle-filled polymer composite samples. While the minimum conductance of 2.68 × 10−9 S was obtained from the epoxy composite sample with 3 wt% eggshell particle loading, epoxy nanocomposite displayed a minimum conductance of 4.06 × 10−9 S with 2 wt% titanium oxide loading. This is an indication that polymer composite with the eggshell particles may produce polymeric insulation that could be more resistant to leakage current.