%0 Journal Article
%T Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-Aluminum-Dross Composite
%A S. O. Adeosun
%A M. A. Usman
%A W. A. Ayoola
%A I. O. Sekunowo
%J ISRN Polymer Science
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/282515
%X Aluminum (Al) dross is a hazardous waste from the secondary smelting of aluminium industries, and safe disposal of this waste is a big challenge to these industries. Dumping of this waste is an environmental hazard to plants, animals, and even human beings. This study is aimed at improving the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) by adding Al dross in 2¨C50£¿wt% for particle sizes 53£¿¦Ìm and 150£¿¦Ìm. PP-Al-dross composite samples were cast, and ultimate tensile strength (UTS), impact resistance (IR), water absorption (WA), and density (D) tests were carried out. The results obtained show that UTS improved by 68% (at 15£¿wt% Al-dross addition), D increased by 54% (at 50£¿wt% Al-dross addition), and WA by 500% (at 8£¿wt% Al-dross addition) over the convectional PP. The impact resistance of the composite was found to be the same (68£¿J) with that of conventional PP at 15£¿wt% Al dross. 1. Introduction Aluminum (Al) drosses (white and black) are residues from primary and secondary aluminum production formed on the surface of molten Al that is exposed to furnace atmosphere during fusion processing. The dross is usually a mixture of free Al metal and nonmetallic substances such as aluminium oxide, nitride, and carbide; salts; metal oxides [1]. Disposal and recycling of dross is a worldwide problem. Majority of dross is disposed of in landfill sites, which is likely to result in leaking of toxic metal ions into the ground water causing serious pollution problems. In addition to this, when aluminium dross comes in contact with water it emits harmful gases such as NH3, CH4, PH3, H2, and H2S [2]. When the dross particles are allowed to escape into the atmosphere, inhalation can cause health problems such as Alzheimer¡¯s disease, silicosis, and bronchitis. The challenge posed by aluminium dross to the environment has continued to engage the attention of researchers over the years. Efforts are geared towards putting this otherwise hazardous waste to productive use. For example, it has been used as reinforcement for aluminium-matrix [3], as raw material for refractories [4], and as additive in cement production [5]. It has also been used in the synthesis of adsorbent and catalytic materials such as alumina and zeolites [6¨C13]. Polypropylene (PP) is a commodity polymer that has found wide range of applications in the packaging, textile, automobile, and furniture industries because of its good processbility, recyclability and low cost [14¨C16]. It has limited use as engineering thermoplastic due to its low strength, low modulus, and high notch sensitivity. To address this
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.polymer.science/2012/282515/