Mechanical and physical characterization of chemically treated pineapple leaf fibre/polyester biocomposites

The rising demand for environmentally friendly materials has motivated study into the improvement of natural fibres as reinforcing agents in polymer composites. Hence, pineapple leaf fibres (PALF), derived from agricultural waste, were introduce into polyester polymer to improve their properties. The experiment was conducted to explore mechanical and physical qualities of NaOH treated PALF reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin bio-composites. A detailed experimental study was conducted by immersing the PALF into various NaOH concentration viz. 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8% for 3-hour soaking time. The PALF-UPE bio composites with 10:90 (w/w) composition ratio were fabricated using compression moulding at 100 0C. Prior to mechanical and physical characterization, the PALF-UPE bio composites were prepared into appropriate specimen according to ASTM D5083 and D570, respectively. The functional categories of both treated and untreated PALF-UPE bio composites were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) suggested that all alkali-treated PALF samples underwent lignin and hemicellulose removal to varying degrees. The tensile properties results show that, 2% of NaOH concentration producing the most optimum tensile strength and modulus at 22.8 and 620 MPa, respectively. It was determined that NaOH-treated PALF-UPE bio composites had greater tensile strength and reduced water absorption than untreated PALF.