SPECTROSCOPIC AND THERMOGRAVIMETRIC IMPRINTS OF WASTE POLYMER COMPOSITES

Abstract

The application of polymer composites in the industrial manufacture of different products is gaining prominence. Assessment of their thermal stabilities and compositional compatibilities are therefore very necessary. Thermogravimetric instrument( SDTQ 600) and Fourier transform – infra red(FT- IR) (BRUKER ALPHA -P ) were used to analyse the thermal stabilities and functional groups of the composites of high density polyethylene(HDPE), low density polyethylene(LDPE) and wood saw dust(SD) which were prepared using a Jombo Extruder 300 model. The composite of equal proportion of polyethylene and saw dust (HDPE 1) had the highest thermal stability of 62.80% mass degradation at 569.980C while the composite of equal proportion of low density polyethylene and saw dust (LDPE 1) had the lowest thermal stability of 74.01% mass degradation at 5400C. All the four composites had two degradation steps in their thermograms confirming a binary composition. The functional groups shown by the infra-red chromatograms were those of the constituents, thus depicting the composites as physical blends. Although their mechanical properties were not assessed but their thermal behaviours make them suitable for some industrial applications. Besides, the process serves as one of the routes for waste recycling. Key words: High density polymer, low density polymer, thermogram, infra- red, thermal stability.