Panzea

Date palm waste (DPW) was obtained from different parts of the date palm tree, rachis, leaflet and leaf, resulting from the annual pruning of date palm tree in the region of Gabes (Tunisia).
The selected polymer matrix was polypropylene (PP) Isplen PP090 G2M (Repsol Química, S.A., Tarragona, Spain). According to the supplier, this PP exhibited a melt flow index of 35 g/10 min and a density of 905 kg/m³. Maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) Epolene G-3015 from Eastman Chemical Products (San Roque, Spain) was used as a coupling agent between the fibers and PP. According to the supplier, the Epolene G-3015 exhibited a molecular weight of 47,000 g/mol with an acid number of 15 mg KOH/g.
Xylanases (Panzea^®) and pectinases (Pectinex^® XXL) were provided by Novozymes (Bagsvard, Denmark).

Composite materials were prepared using date palm fibers (DPF) as reinforcement and polypropylene (PP) as a plastic matrix. Date palm waste (DPW) was obtained from the annual pruning of date palm trees in the region of Gabes (Tunisia). Isplen PP090 G2M polypropylene was kindly supplied by Repsol Química S.A. (Tarragona, Spain). The density and melt flow index of this polypropylene are 0.905 g/cm³ and 35 g/10 min (210 °C; 2.16 kg), respectively. Maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP Epolene G-3015) was provided by Eastman Chemical Products (San Roque, Spain) and incorporated into composites as a coupling agent. Enzymes xylanases (Panzea^®) and pectinases (Pectinex^® XXL) were supplied by Novozymes (Bagsværd, Denmark). Reagents for fiber chemical treatment and material characterization were acquired at Sigma-Aldrich and used as received.