Green Composites Based on Polypropylene and Recycled Coffee Gunny: Morphology, Thermal and Mechanical Properties

In this study, coffee gunny which is made of jute fiber (Jf) hybrid woven cloth was used to reinforce polypropylene (PP). Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was added as a compatibilizer. Moreover, Jf was chemically treated by various methods to enhance the compatibility between fiber and the PP matrix. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Polarized optical microscopy (POM), and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that Jf is composed of jute yarn, PE fiber, and PP/PE hybrid fiber. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the compatibility between Jf and PP was improved by the chemical treatment of Jf. The results of tensile and impact tests showed that PP composite containing MAPP and the Jf after alkaline treatment (PP/MAPP/BJf) exhibited the best tensile and impact strengths. Its increments of tensile and impact strengths were 25% and 29% as compared to the untreated Jf-containing composite (PP/Jf). Apart from enhancing the mechanical properties of PP, the incorporation of coffee gunny can reduce the production cost of materials while meeting the demands of environmental protection agencies.