Role of paper sludge particle size and extrusion temperature on performance of paper sludge–thermoplastic polymer composites

The effect of paper sludge's particle size and extrusion temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of paper sludge–thermoplastic polymer composites was investigated. In the experiment three levels of particle sizes for the paper sludge and four extrusion temperatures were designed to examine the physical and mechanical properties of these composites. The ash contents of the paper sludge were about 73.7, 46.2, and 38.1% with particle sizes of below 0.15, 0.18–0.25, and 0.42–0.84 mm, respectively, which meant lower ash content and higher cellulose fiber content, in the larger particle size of paper sludge. As the particle size of the paper sludge decreased, the swelling thickness, water absorption, and tensile and flexural strengths of the composite improved; but the particle size of the paper sludge had no effect on its unnotched impact strength. With the increase of the extrusion temperature the thickness swelling and water absorption of the composites were slightly improved but not statistically different. A rise of the extrusion temperature generally had a positive effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composite. The notched and unnotched impact strengths of the composite increased with the increase of the extrusion temperature from 190 to 230°C, but they decreased slightly at an extrusion temperature of 250°C. This low impact energy at an extrusion temperature of 250°C may be attributed to the excessively brittle fibers from thermal decomposition. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2709–2718, 2001