Fares D Alsewailem
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
Title: Date pits: efficient fillers for polymers
Biography
Biography: Fares D Alsewailem
Abstract
Date pit, a byproduct of the palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) with a less value, was successfully used as efficient and eco-friendly filler and reinforcement for polymeric materials. Polystyrene (PS) was used as a matrix to host date pits granules. PS pellets were melt compounded with proper amount of date pit granules using extrusion technique. Morphological and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were investigated to explore effect of date pit particle size on the properties of the composites. It was found that mechanical properties represented by Izod impact strength may be significantly enhanced by controlling date pit particle size (in the range of 0.25-1.00 mm). One potential application of this product is thermal insulation sheets in buildings.