Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar

Polystyrene waste is a significant environmental problem, and recycling and repurposing it can reduce its impact on the environment. Chicken feather biochar, on the other hand, is a by-product of the poultry industry and can be repurposed to produce bio-composites. The goal of this work was to turn...

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Main Authors: Adewale Adeniyi, Kingsley Iwuozor, Ebuka Emenike, Comfort Adeyanju, Samuel Ogunniyi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC) 2024-07-01
Series:Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment
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Online Access:https://www.jree.ir/article_173487_debf5a48184a639ac6343a95665a03da.pdf
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author Adewale Adeniyi
Kingsley Iwuozor
Ebuka Emenike
Comfort Adeyanju
Samuel Ogunniyi
author_facet Adewale Adeniyi
Kingsley Iwuozor
Ebuka Emenike
Comfort Adeyanju
Samuel Ogunniyi
author_sort Adewale Adeniyi
collection DOAJ
description Polystyrene waste is a significant environmental problem, and recycling and repurposing it can reduce its impact on the environment. Chicken feather biochar, on the other hand, is a by-product of the poultry industry and can be repurposed to produce bio-composites. The goal of this work was to turn waste chicken feathers into biochar and then, create composites with the biochar acting as the filler and a polystyrene-based resin acting as the matrix. The biochar was prepared with the aid of a top-lit updraft reactor. Composites were fabricated using different mixing ratios of biochar (10-40%) and polystyrene resin. The composites were then analyzed using FTIR, SEM-EDX, and hardness tests. SEM examination demonstrated that the biochar was distributed unevenly throughout the matrix. The alterations and shifts in peak positions shown by FTIR measurement indicated that there was a chemical interaction between the matrix and the biochar. It also revealed the hydrophilic nature of the composite. Hardness test showed that 20% biochar concentration gave the optimum hardness property (139 HRB). The EDX result demonstrated that the matrix as well as the composites consisted majorly of carbon atoms. The results of this study indicate the potential of using chicken feather biochar as a filler material to improve the mechanical and microstructural properties of recycled polystyrene-based bio-composites. This approach can provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution to repurpose waste materials from poultry and plastic industries.
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2423-7469
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spelling doaj-art-480fa1b166cc43f781232feb60e73f572025-08-20T02:25:39ZengMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55472423-74692024-07-011131810.30501/jree.2023.384691.1553173487Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather BiocharAdewale Adeniyi0Kingsley Iwuozor1Ebuka Emenike2Comfort Adeyanju3Samuel Ogunniyi4Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ilorin, P. O. Box: 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P. O. Box: 5025, Awka, Nigeria.Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P. O. Box: 5025, Awka, Nigeria.Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ilorin, P. O. Box: 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ilorin, P. O. Box: 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.Polystyrene waste is a significant environmental problem, and recycling and repurposing it can reduce its impact on the environment. Chicken feather biochar, on the other hand, is a by-product of the poultry industry and can be repurposed to produce bio-composites. The goal of this work was to turn waste chicken feathers into biochar and then, create composites with the biochar acting as the filler and a polystyrene-based resin acting as the matrix. The biochar was prepared with the aid of a top-lit updraft reactor. Composites were fabricated using different mixing ratios of biochar (10-40%) and polystyrene resin. The composites were then analyzed using FTIR, SEM-EDX, and hardness tests. SEM examination demonstrated that the biochar was distributed unevenly throughout the matrix. The alterations and shifts in peak positions shown by FTIR measurement indicated that there was a chemical interaction between the matrix and the biochar. It also revealed the hydrophilic nature of the composite. Hardness test showed that 20% biochar concentration gave the optimum hardness property (139 HRB). The EDX result demonstrated that the matrix as well as the composites consisted majorly of carbon atoms. The results of this study indicate the potential of using chicken feather biochar as a filler material to improve the mechanical and microstructural properties of recycled polystyrene-based bio-composites. This approach can provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution to repurpose waste materials from poultry and plastic industries.https://www.jree.ir/article_173487_debf5a48184a639ac6343a95665a03da.pdfbiocharchicken featherpolystyrene compositemechanical properties
spellingShingle Adewale Adeniyi
Kingsley Iwuozor
Ebuka Emenike
Comfort Adeyanju
Samuel Ogunniyi
Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment
biochar
chicken feather
polystyrene composite
mechanical properties
title Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
title_full Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
title_fullStr Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
title_full_unstemmed Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
title_short Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Bio-composite Produced from Recycled Polystyrene/chicken Feather Biochar
title_sort mechanical and microstructural properties of bio composite produced from recycled polystyrene chicken feather biochar
topic biochar
chicken feather
polystyrene composite
mechanical properties
url https://www.jree.ir/article_173487_debf5a48184a639ac6343a95665a03da.pdf
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AT ebukaemenike mechanicalandmicrostructuralpropertiesofbiocompositeproducedfromrecycledpolystyrenechickenfeatherbiochar
AT comfortadeyanju mechanicalandmicrostructuralpropertiesofbiocompositeproducedfromrecycledpolystyrenechickenfeatherbiochar
AT samuelogunniyi mechanicalandmicrostructuralpropertiesofbiocompositeproducedfromrecycledpolystyrenechickenfeatherbiochar