Studies on Properties of Egg Shell and Fish Bone Powder Filled Polypropylene

The mechanical and end-use properties of egg shell and fish bone powder filled polypropylene have been determined at filler contents, 0 to 40 wt. %, and particle sizes, 0.150, 0.30, and 0.420 μm. Talc, of particle size, 0.150 μm was used as the reference filler. The incorporation of egg shell and fish bone powder into polypropylene resulted in improvement in the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural, and impact strength of the composites, and these properties increased with increase in filler contents, and decrease in filler particle sizes. The elongation at break of the composites was observed to decrease with increase in filler contents, and particle sizes. The hardness, specific gravity, and water absorption (24 h) of the prepared composites were found to increase with increase in filler contents, and decease in filler particle size. Talc filled polypropylene was observed to absorb less water than fish bone or egg shell powder filled polypropylene. The amount of water absorbed by these composites was observed to be independent of filler content or particle size but on the nature of the filler used. The fillers under investigation efficiently reduced the rate of burning of polypropylene at high filler contents, and particle sizes. Generally, egg shell, and fish bone powder fillers have shown greater property improvement over talc in the prepared composites. Egg shell, and fish bone powder fillers could be viable alternatives to the conventional mineral fillers for the plastic industry, and for applications where the high water absorption of the fillers is not a critical factor of interest.