Pre-fibrillation of pulps to manufacture cellulose nanofiber-reinforced high-density polyethylene using the dry pulp direct kneading method

The dry pulp direct kneading method is an industrially viable, low-energy process for manufacturing cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced polymer composites, where the chemically modified pulps are nanofibrillated and uniformly dispersed in matrix during melt compounding. In present study, fibers of various sizes ranging from surface-fibrillated (20 μm width) to fine CNFs nm were prepared softwood bleached kraft using a refiner high-pressure homogenizer. These with alkenyl succinic anhydride dried. dried used as feed material compounding fabricate CNF-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE). When employed material, HDPE resulting composites had much better properties—i.e., higher tensile modulus strength values, lower coefficient thermal expansion values—than produced without pre-fibrillation. However, when they shortened agglomerated compounding, properties consequently deteriorated. study concludes that pulp, which can be cost-effectively on industrial scale, more suitable than method. This finding enables elimination preliminary step preparation pulps, time-consuming energy-intensive process.