Preparation and characterization of cellulosic fibre-reinforced polypropylene foams

The preparation and characterization of cellulosic fibre-reinforced polypropylene composite foams is presented. The cellulose fibres were isolated from a barley straw obtained from local sources. They were compounded with the polymer in the melt state to obtain composites with nominal concentrations of 10 and 20% by weight. After compression-moulding the composite samples were foamed in a high-pressure batch-process employing CO2 as foaming agent. The effects of the fibre loading on the basics characteristics of the foams was investigate