The Effect of Paper Sludge Content and Size on the Properties of Polypropylene (PP)-Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Composites

The effect of paper sludge content and size on the processibility, mechanical properties, swelling behavior and morphology of PP-EPDM composites were examined. Results show that the increasing content of paper sludge in composites has increased the Young’s modulus and water absorption but decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break. At a similar filler content, PP-EPDM composites with the smallest size show the highest mechanical properties but the lowest water absorption resistance. SEM tensile fracture surface of composites show that the smallest size of paper sludge has better filler-matrix interaction than the larger size of paper sludge. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the increase of paper sludge content has increased the thermal stability of PP-EPDM composites particularly at temperatures above 500 C.