Biodegradability and mechanical properties of pineapple leaf/coir Fiber reinforced hybrid epoxy composites

Environmental policies set the boundary conditions for industries and commercial market regarding the maximum utilization of biodegradable material. In this context, the current research work deals with the development of cellulosic fiber filled epoxy composites and test for biodegradability in the natural soil environment. Moreover, an experimental investigation has been carried out to study the effect of relative fiber volume content and alkaline treatment of cellulosic fibers on the biodegradability and mechanical properties of Pineapple leaf/Coir fiber reinforced hybrid epoxy composites. To accomplish the desired objectives, the total of 23 biocomposite specimens (untreated and alkali-treated) has been developed by hand lay-up molding technique and test for tensile, flexural, impact, and weight loss properties as per ASTM standard. In all composite specimens, the total fiber to polymer resin ratio was kept fixed at 40:60 (v/v). The total of four samples for each composite specimen was tested and their average values were reported. The experimental results showed that the hybrid composites exhibit rapid loss of mechanical strength in natural soil environment than the pure Pineapple leaf-Epoxy composite. The single pineapple leaf fiber reinforced material revealed a higher rate of biodegradation and greater loss of tensile and flexural strength as compared to the pure CoirEpoxy composite. The alkali-treated coir fiber enriched composites have a higher weight loss and greater reduction in mechanical strength than the untreated one. The mechanical strength and biodegradability of an epoxy thermoset were increased with the incorporation of PALF and COIR fibers which leads to easy and smooth adoption in engineering applications.