Composites from ground chicken quill and polypropylene

Mechanical and acoustical properties of composites from ground chicken quill and polypropylene (PP) have been investigated and compared with jute–PP composites. A functional composite of ground poultry quill may potentially lead to significant reduction of environmental pollution through replacement of nonrenewable materials in composites. The effect of concentration of ground quill, holding temperature, and density on mechanical properties of composites and the effect of ground quill concentration and density on sound absorption have been studied. Void contents in composites and the effect of ground quill concentration and density on round cabsorption have also been related to mechanical and noise absorption properties. Quill has better compatibility to PP compared with jute. Optimized ground quill–PP composites have similar flexural strength and offset yield load, lower modulus of elasticity, and lower tensile strength and modulus compared with optimized jute–PP composites. Noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of ground quill composites is 71% higher than that of jute composites at optimized conditions in terms of flexural properties.