ABSTRACT
In the present work, composites based on recycled polypropylene (PPr) and 30% treated and untreated lignocellulosic waste were prepared. The recycled polypropylene comes from recovered surgical masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic, from which the elastic band and the metal strip have been removed. The lignocellulosic waste used as a reinforcing agent consisted of the depleted substrate from the culture of Pleurotus ostreatus fungi, being a sawdust enriched in chitin pellets of corn cobs treated with borhot from the brewing of beer. The composites with 30% of treated/untreated sawdust were obtained in dynamical conditions by melt processing. The effects of sawdust, both treated and untreated, on tensile properties (strength and modulus of elasticity), dynamic-mechanical properties (storage/loss modulus and loss factor), thermal conductivity and thermal stability were studied. The results showed improved thermal and mechanical properties of bio-composite materials based on recycled polypropylene from used face masks and sawdust, which can be used as construction materials. © 2023, Fundatia Serban Solacolu. All rights reserved.