The Use of Polyethylene-grafted-Maleic Anhydride as a Compatibiliser for Composites from a Mixture of Poly-Aluminum and Fibers

Abstract

Used beverage carton (UBC), is one type of used paper/cardboard that has potential as a recycled fiber source. UBC is composed of 3 components, namely paper, polyethylene and aluminum foil with a composition of 74-80%, 20-21%, and 5% respectively. UBC recycling initially aimed to recover fiber component which is the largest component that can be reused as paper/paperboard raw material. However, the UBC recycling also obtained by-products in the form of polyethylene (PE) and aluminum that can be used as composite raw materials. In general, a composite is expected to have high strength but light weight. The PE-aluminum composite has high strength but is rather heavy. So that, the experiments of making PE-aluminum composites with the addition of fiber have been done. The usage of PE-g-MA (polyethylene-grafted-maleic anhydride) as a compatibiliser was also studied. Composites from a mixture of PE-aluminum and fiber (ratio 4:1) have been made with the variations of 0-5% PE-g-MA. The temperature of hot press were also varied 140^oC and 165^oC. As a control, composite of 100% PE-aluminum without PE-g-MA was also made. The resulting composites were tested for density (SNI ISO 534:2011), moisture content (SNI ISO 287:2009), water absorption (SNI 01-4449-2006 Item 8.2.5), and dimensional stability. The presence of fiber in the PE-aluminum composite was able to reduce the density, moisture content and water absorption properties of the resulting composite, but the dimensional changes after being immersed in water for 24 hours increased. The addition of PE-g-MA as an additive to a mixture of PE-aluminum and fiber composites, at a hot press temperature of 165^oC, further reduced the water content and water absorption of the composites with a density close to the density of PE. The role of PE-g-MA as an interface component between the fiber phase and the PE-aluminum phase were shown in the 50x magnification of the composite cross-section using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) although its distribution in the composite is still uneven.

Keywords: PE-g-MA, composite, compatibiliser, polyethylene-aluminum, fiber, UBC

DOI: 10.7176/CMR/13-2-04

Publication date:September 30th 2021