INFLUENCE OF MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PALM NUT SHELL- PLASTIC COMPOSITE

Increasing population levels, booming economy and rapid urbanization have greatly accelerated the municipal solid waste (MSW) in our country; in our cities (Bamenda, Buea, Douala, Yaoundé etc.), poor management of solid waste constitutes an urgent problem: flood, deterioration of the urban environment in the form of air, water, and land pollution. Options like recycling and material recovery for subsequent re-use present enormous opportunities for waste management with economic and ecological benefits, wastes as well as plastic and palm nut shell have not yet been recycled satisfactorily; the performances of palm nut shell-plastic composites of 30% palm kernel shell with particle sizes varying from 1mm to 5mm and 70% of polyethylene were used to produce different samples The effects of palm kernel shell particles’ size on mechanical and physical properties of the new composite were studied by the help of different mechanical (flexural and compressive test) and physical tests (density and water absorption). Results showed a better interaction of polyethylene and palm kernel shell particles at 1mm sieve with compressive stress and water absorption higher at 1mm, ultimate flexural stress and the young’s modulus of the material increased as the particle size of the palm kernel shell increased, relatively higher density were obtained at 3mm of the palm kernel shell (PKS) size.1.INTRODUCTIONThe increasing amount of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) in our country presents greater challenges with respect to proper and sustainable solutions to manage such generated waste [1]. With the increasing population and economic activities and also the rapid changing of lifestyles, Cameroon like many other countries, is faced with greater challenges towards managing solid waste. Options like recycling and material recovery for subsequent re-use present enormous opportunities for waste management with economic and ecological benefits. In recent years, with growing environmental awareness, agro-fillers (agro-based waste) are now increasingly used as reinforcing fillers in thermoplastic composite materials [2], [3] Industries, shop, super market, hostel and others generate