Valorization of Plantain Stalk and Polystyrene Wastes for Composite Development

The worldwide increase in consumption of energy and resources has led to various unsustainable developments which has called for the development of sustainable use of resources and reduction in energy consumption. Natural fibre reinforced composites that are synthesised and cured at room temperatures appears to be a fulfilment for this need towards achieving truly sustainable and optimised development processes of high importance. This study was aimed at demonstrating the viability of plantain fibres and solvated polystyrene resin in preparing composites. Plantain Fibre Polystyrene Composites were prepared using hand lay-up method with untreated fibres and fibres treated with 1.5-4.5% NaOH; three levels of fibre content (5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%); and three levels of fibre length (2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm). The composites were characterized for their tensile strength, functional groups and surface morphology. It was observed that treated plantain fibres have better adhesion to polystyrene resin compared to the untreated fibres. It was also observed that untreated fibre composites gave a higher tensile strength compared to treated fibre composites.