Posidonia Oceanica waste was used as reinforcement in a polyethylene matrix and the obtained composites were characterised by a tensile test and morphological analysis. The fibrous material derived from P. Oceanica wastes was characterised by morphological, thermal and chemical analysis, and a subsequent treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different weight content (2, 5 and 10 wt%) was considered as an optimised method for surface modification of pristine fibres (PO).<\/p>\n
The TGA analysis and morphological investigation of the treated fibres selected the 5 wt% of NaOH as the best treatment.<\/p>\n
Matrix compatibilisation with maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene was also considered and the effect on both grafting procedure and alkali treatment was studied for composites containing 20 wt% of fibres.<\/p>\n
The results confirmed that it is possible to aim for a revalorisation of coastal algae and seaweed wastes as raw material for polyolefin matrix composites, even without applying a strong chemical treatment to the waste.<\/p>\n