Effect of filler additions on pilot-scale extrusion coating of paperboard with PLA-based blends

We study the incorporation of minerals (talc, kaolin and surface-treated calcium carbonate) in paperboard coatings based on PLA to improve their performance, often limited by the low crystallinity and moderate gas barrier of the polymer. Masterbatches of PLA-based blends mixed with the mineral fillers were melt-blended in a twin-screw extruder and applied as a coating on paperboard in a pilot-scale unit operating at velocities up to 140 m/min. Thermal imaging was used during the extrusion coating and the effect of the fillers was investigated as far as processability and their effect on the mechanical performance. A reduction of neck-in and improved adhesion between the coating and the substrate were achieved at intermediate mineral loadings. Excess filler and low coating weight generated pinholes, leading to a reduction of the integrity and mechanical properties of the coatings. Overall, we define the performance window for continuous, pilot-scale coating of paperboard with a biopolyester filled with mineral particles, opening the opportunity to realize operations in industrial settings.

Enhancement of the mechanical properties of HDPE mineral nanocomposites by filler particles modulation of the matrix plastic/elastic behavior

Two different nanosized mineral fillers (nano calcium carbonate and nanoclay) were used in the high density poly(ethylene) (HDPE) composites pilot plant production. Structural and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were examined in this study. The homogenous filler distribution was confirmed in the tested samples by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses. The fillers’ fortifying effect on polymer composites’ mechanical performance was confirmed as indicated by the increased elastic modulus and indentation modulus. Additionally, the possible modulation of the plastic-elastic mechanical behavior was confirmed by the type of the filler as well as its concentration used in the final composites testing articles.

JUSTIFICATION OF METHODS OF POLYMERIC WASTE PROCESSING IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

The development of industry has led to the unlimited technological application of polymers, ranging from plastic bags, rubber, fabrics, paper and other materials. Displacing traditional materials, polymer products began to be used in agriculture. Polymers are used to make films for soil cover (mulching), anti-hail nets, shaft bushings, gears, body parts, tanks for storage and transportation of fertilizers and working fluids and many other parts. The operational properties of polymer products are becoming more and more perfect, but at the same time the methods of polymer waste management and their utilization are being developed and complicated. Over time, they can no longer be used for their intended purpose, so they are discarded and sent to landfills, while polymers are valuable structural materials and their reuse will not only be positive for the environment, but can also become a profitable branch of the agro-industrial complex. Pellet production is one of the methods of recycling polymer waste, which in the future can be used for the production of new parts, as well as added to the composition of composite materials based on organic or mineral fillers. This article examines the problem of recycling polymer waste by improving their processing technologies. The analysis of existing methods of utilization and processing of polymeric waste generated in agriculture is carried out. Determination of physical and mechanical properties of polymer waste, in particular thermoplastics. Taking into account the received information, conclusions are made and the analysis of methods of utilization and processing of polymeric waste in secondary raw materials is carried out.

THE EFFECT OF STABILIZING ADDITIVES ON THE STABILITY OF ASPHALT CONCRETE TO THE EFFECTS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATIC FACTORS

The article presents the results of studies on the influence of stabilizing additives from industrial waste on the change in the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt concrete as a result of the influence of weather and climatic factors. Microporous waste from the pulp and paper industry of high density (corrugated cardboard), mineral fillers from limestone and waste from wet magnetic separation of ferruginous quartzites in a stable and activated state and a bituminous emulsion are used as initial components. As a criterion for assessing the influence of weather and climatic factors on the physical and mechanical properties of the stone mastic asphalt, the coefficient of degradation of their values was used. It is found that after one and three years of conditional exposure to weather and climatic factors, there was an increase in the tensile strength at splitting and a decrease in the compressive strength at temperatures of 20 and 50 °C of samples of all compositions of the stone mastic asphalt, which is associated with the aging of the binder and the separation of the bitumen film from the surface of mineral materials and components of the stabilizing additive. It is shown that as a result of the introduction of mineral fillers into the composition of stabilizing additives, their bitumen-retaining ability increases, which indicates an increase in the structuring effect of the stabilizer and helps to slow down aging. The most effective was shown by a stabilizing additive containing freshly ground wet magnetic separation waste, which is explained by their high adsorption capacity in relation to an organic binder. It is found that the stone mastic asphalt using the developed stabilizing additive undergoes significantly less degradation as a result of the influence of weather and climatic factors than asphalt concrete on a traditional Viatop stabilizer.

Thermal insulating materials on liquid glass binder

The article discusses the possibility of creating new inorganic heat-insulating materials based on liquid glass binder and mineral fillers. Within the framework of the article, the influence of various additives such as sawdust, chalk, coal and graphite on the physical and technical properties of an inorganic heat-insulating material is considered. The authors of the article proposed the compositions and conditions for obtaining materials that meet the regulatory requirements for materials and products for building thermal insulation

Prospects and Development of Research of Composite Elastomer Materials

The aim of this work is to study the effect of new modified ingredients on the complex of properties of composite elastomeric materials. It was found that the introduction of modified ingredients into the composition of elastomeric compositions enhances interfacial interaction at the «rubber-filler» interface and the formation of additional bonds between rubber macromolecules and functional groups, as a result of which an improvement in the complex of properties of the compositions is observed. The introduction of modified carbon into the composition of elastomeric compositions enhances interfacial interaction at the «rubber-filler» interface and the formation of additional bonds between rubber macromolecules and functional groups of the oligomer, as a result of which an improvement in the complex of properties of the compositions is observed. The technology of purification of mineral fillers from metal oxides has been developed. A sufficiently high degree of purification by this method is due to the fact that in the process of temperature exposure at 950 K, iron ions from the paramagnetic state (d-form Fe2O3) pass into ferromagnetic (r-form Fe3O4). Feasibility and prospects of using modified fillers, both mineral and organic, in the formulations of rubber compounds for the production of various types of rubber products