Preparation and characterization of waste papers based composites and their applications in leather industries

In this work, the utilization of waste paper in the preparation of cellulous-based composite is described, with latex as a binder. Paraffin wax and acrylic woven fibers were also used at various weight ratios to get the best mechanical and physical properties. The results were compared with the performance the Dixon, regularly used material in shoes manufacturing. The following tests were performed: compression resistance, density, water absorption, shrinkage, and moisture content. Manual method was employed in the preparation of test specimens in addition to laboratory forging machine for finishing of the specimens. Results of compression test (Modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, resistance to crushing) of the Specimens that contain pulp paper and reinforced with latex and acrylic fibers and low content of paraffin wax showed the highest resistance to compression, The increase of additives contents within the mix resulted in an increase in density. To mimic the real application conditions of the insole, the specimens were subjected to water absorption test by irrigation for 2 hours. The best specimen compositions for the water resistance test are those with high (5-10%) wax content due to the fact that the wax is a water repellent material. The shrinkage is another important parameter for the use of the composite in shoe industry. Result of shrinkage and humidity of all specimens show comparable results to commercially available and Dixon are also very close to the requirements of the specification of leather industry. However, in comparison with the available carton and dixon, our specimens contain from weight fraction (50g) waste pulp, (20g) latex, (4g) paraffin wax, (0.7g) acrylic fibers, proved comparable performance.