Highly Filled Formaldehyde-Free Natural Fiber Polypropylene

Considerable interest has been generated in the use of lignocellulosic fibers and wastes (both agricultural and wood based) as fillers and reinforcements in thermoplastics. In general, present technologies limit fiber loading in thermoplastics to about 50 % by weight of fiber. To produce high fiber content composites for commercial use while maintaining adequate mechanical properties requires innovative processing techniques. A new technique has been developed that allows very high fiber loading. We have processed composites up to about 95 % by weight of fiber in polypropylene (PP). The process involves some additional processing steps, in addition to conventional compounding techniques, to achieve such high fiber content in PP