Blending of waste PP sacks with cellulose acetate

Samah Mohammed Ahmed; Asaad Faisal Khattab  Khattab

doi:10.56286/6mfg0x39

Authors

Samah Mohammed Ahmed Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Mosul, Mosul 41002, Iraq
Asaad Faisal Khattab Khattab Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Mosul, Mosul 41002, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56286/6mfg0x39

Keywords:

Polypropylene, Cellulose Acetate, Polymer Modification

Abstract

The accumulation of polypropylene (PP) waste has become a significant environmental concern due to its widespread use and resistance to natural degradation. This study presents an effective approach for recycling waste polypropylene sacks through chemical modification and polymer blending to produce value-added materials with enhanced properties. Recycled PP was first functionalized by grafting maleic anhydride (MAH) onto the polymer backbone using dicumyl peroxide as a free-radical initiator. The grafted polymer (PP-g-MAH) was subsequently esterified with different long-chain alcohols, including pentanol, heptanol, octanol, and decanol, to introduce flexible side chains and improve its compatibility with cellulose acetate (CA). The resulting esterified polymers were blended with cellulose acetate to prepare a series of novel polymer blends. The synthesized materials were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and thermal analysis (TGA/DTA/DSC) to evaluate their chemical structure, surface morphology, and thermal behavior. FTIR spectra confirmed the successful grafting of maleic anhydride, esterification of the grafted polymer, and formation of polymer blends through the appearance of characteristic carbonyl and ester absorption bands. AFM analysis revealed homogeneous surface morphology with no obvious phase separation, indicating good compatibility between the blend components. Thermal analysis demonstrated that the prepared blends possessed favorable thermal stability, with glass transition temperatures ranging from approximately 81 to 98 °C and decomposition temperatures approaching 400 °C. Furthermore, the prepared blends exhibited excellent resistance to organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and toluene. The findings demonstrate that waste polypropylene can be successfully converted into functional polymeric materials through grafting, esterification, and blending with cellulose acetate, offering a sustainable strategy to produce environmentally friendly polymer blends with improved structural and thermal properties for potential engineering and industrial applications.

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