Characteristics of macadamia-particle plastic boards developed from wastes

The purpose of this study was to characterize mechanical and physical properties of experimental composite prepared from macadamia flour and waste HDPE plastics. Macadamia flour of different grades of less than 1mm and between 1mm and 2 mm were used. Four samples were fabricated with plastic to macadamia at mass ratios of 1:1 and 2:1. The composites were produced through a simple molding process. On characterizing the samples, it was observed that the finer grade of macadamia exhibited better tensile strength compared to sample with coarse particle sizes. The highest value of tensile strength was given by samples prepared at mass ratio of 1:1 and grain size of less than 1mm. The water absorption rate was lowest in samples with a mass ratio of 2:1 and grain sizes of less than 1mm. The samples showed good machinability properties.