Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer, however, its full potential has yet to be reached since 3% is only utilized (Onwukamike et al., 2018). The long-term goal is to replace current materials with bio-derived resources because of overriding environmental contamination and diminishing fossil reserves worldwide (Willberg-Keyriläinen, Orelma and Ropponen, 2018). Cellulose diacetate is one of the most common derivatives which is employed in the industry but the use is limited due to the nar-row melt processing window (Lee et al., 2006; Willberg-Keyriläinen, Orelma and Ropponen, 2018). Higher temperatures than 250oC are not recommended, since cellulose diacetate will release gases like CO, CO2, and acetic acid (Gaan et al., 2011; Kumar Vangala et al., 2017). Given that the material is known to be sensitive to higher temperatures, determining its degree of impact on material mechanical properties is appealing. There have been stud-ies on the effects of UV light on aging. How-ever, there is a lack of data on compression molding with cellulose derivatives. This pa-per outlines a methodology for compression molding and its lab-scale testing. Mechanical qualities will be studied at various tempera-tures, as well as which pressing material is ideal for a smooth appearance.
Keywords: cellulose diacetate, compression molding, tensile, surface roughness, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, elongation, heat degradation
Authors
Catherine Kilumets
Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Material and Environmental Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Heikko Kallakas
Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Materials and Environmental Technology, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Jaan Kers
Department of Materials and Environmental Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
Andres Krumme
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