Properties of compatibilised kenaf-filled recycled high-density polyethylene/natural rubber blends under natural weathering condition.

In this study, a novel polymeric blend was developed using recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) and natural rubber (NR), along with kenaf fibre as a natural filler. In addition, the blends were compatibilised by maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAPE) and maleic anhydride-grafted natural rubber (MANR). In addition, this study focussed on the material's properties after the natural weathering test. Results indicated that the tensile properties dropped over the period of natural weathering due to the chain scission of polymeric backbones and the degradation of kenaf fibre. It was found that the retention of properties after natural weathering was higher over the addition of kenaf fibre. When considering the tensile strength, adding only 10 phr of kenaf enabled to increase the retention up to 25% higher than the unfilled counterpart. However, the retained properties were limited for the blends with the addition of compatibilisers. Adding compatibilisers might speed up the degradation of the blends due to its tendency to promote degradation. This is very useful for plastic manufacturers to consider this material a choice either to act as a performance booster or a pro-degradant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]