Preparation and Characterization of PVC Matrix Composites with Biochemical Sludge

Biochemical sludge (BS), generated in the waste water treatment of paper mills, was pretreated by enzyme hydrolysis. The effect and action mechanism of the enzymatic treatment on the properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix composites with BS were discussed. Results showed that when the filler content was 30 wt%, the tensile strength of the PVC composites filled with BS and its modified products which were pretreated by laccase, cellulase and hemicellulase can be increased by 38.64, 67.4, 63.5 and 66.3% than the PVC composite filled with calcium carbonate. When the dosage of filler was 40 wt%, the elastic modulus of PVC composites filled with BS and its above three modified products decreased by 53.3, 52.3, 50.0 and 46.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of PVC composites can also be improved at the temperature of over 340 °C. It can be concluded that the enzyme pretreatment can improve the application performance of BS usage in PVC matrix composites.