Waste disposal by incineration and landfill is discouraged by recently revised legislation. For example, municipal disposal facility levy rates have increased from $30 to $60/tonne in New Zealand between 2022 and 2024 according to the waste minimisation act. Such penalties encourage alternative waste pathways, but thermosetting polymers, primarily used as a high- performance composite matrix, inherently cannot be reprocessed for the same purpose. Fibre-reinforced thermoplastic is a structural composite alternative that may help protect the environment from harm while providing social and economic benefits. This is foremost because waste thermoplastic can be mixed into the matrix to reduce virgin polymer utilisation.
In this project students will produce flax fibre reinforced polyethylene composites. The component of waste polyethylene in the matrix shall be maximised while maintaining good mechanical performance. Fibre surface properties and polymer bulk properties will be modified by cold plasma jet treatment for a strong fibre-matrix interphase. It is the primary objective of this project to utilise the research groups current understanding of plasma modification to up-cycle polyethylene in structural composites.
Undergraduate
This project will establish appropriate plasma treatment, compounding and injection moulding process parameters for the manufacture of flax fibre reinforced waste polyethylene. Student participants will gain knowledge on fibre reinforced polymeric composites, waste thermoplastic processing, polymer characterisation, and mechanical testing. They will collaborate with a team of PhD students and research staff from the MBIE plastics program at the centre for advanced materials manufacturing and design.
None
No lab has been assigned to this project