Arundo Donax particles as reinforcement for PLA based composites

Abstract

Aim of this work was to use particles obtained by grinding the culms of Arundo Donax used as reinforcement for PLA based composites. The influence of the content (10 wt% and 20 wt%) and size (150-300 μm and 300-500 μm) of Arundo Donax filler (ADF) on the morphology and on the properties of PLA-ADF composites was evaluated. The composites were prepared by melt compounding the PLA with ADF using a co-rotating modular twin screw extruder. For comparison, neat PLA was processed under the same conditions. Both the neat PLA and the composites were characterized by SEM, DSC, tensile and flexural measurements.