Processing and Characterization of Surface Treated Chicken Eggshell and Calcium Carbonate Particles Filled High-Density Polyethylene Composites

The use of the biowaste chicken eggshell (ES) particles as an alternative filler for the inorganic calcium carbonate (CC) in polymeric materials was investigated in this study. ES and CC were chemically surface treated with stearic acid by dry and wet methods. Composites of ES and CC filled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was prepared via melt mixing and their thermal-mechanical- and flow behavior was characterized. FTIR results showed some changes in the chemical structure of SA treated ES and CC. The mechanical properties of the composites fluctuated in their values based on the SA treatment method. The wet-treated HDPE/ES composites showed higher tensile and flexural strengths compared to that of the untreated ones which were also higher than their counterparts of HDPE/CC composites. The treated-ES particles motivated the crystallization process of HDPE compared to the untreated-ES and better flow properties was reported for composites with higher crystallinity and for HDPE/CC composites. Morphological observations showed particles agglomeration and void existence which led to deterioration of the mechanical properties.