Effect of sea crab (<i>Callinectes amnicola</i>) shell particles reinforcement on high density polyethylene composite

Abstract

The use of environmental friendly materials that are renewable play valuable roles in reinforcements as natural fillers. This study  examined the effect of using sea crab shell particles as reinforcing material in high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The composites were  produced by varying the sea crab shell particles at 10, 20 and 30 wt.%. The elemental composition of the sea crab shell was determined  using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The results of the XRF analysis showed that pulverized sea crab shell particles contains Ca,  Al, Si and Fe as the major constituents while Mg, P₂, Ti, K₂, and Na₂ were present in traces. The physical and mechanical properties of the  reinforced HDPE were also determined. As the particle content increased from 10 to 30%, the density of the composite was observed to  increase from 0.95 to 1.1091g/cm³ .The tensile strength obtained increased from 15.36 to 17.91 MPa at 10% particle loading. The Young’s  modulus increased in proportion to increase in particle loading while the percentage elongation decreased. The impact strength also  decreased with particles content. Furthermore, the flexural strength increased though the best result was obtained at 20%. The obtained  results of the developed composites showed that sea crab shell particles is a viable reinforcement for polymer- matrix composite.