Characterization of oil palm empty fruit bunch mat/woven and non-woven kenaf fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid biocomposites

The demand for sustainable materials has increased, leading to a greater emphasis on using renewable and eco-friendly resources, such as natural fibers, as reinforcement in engineering composites. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate characterization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) mat/woven and non-woven kenaf fiber reinforced with epoxy polymers. The hybridization effect of oil palm EFB/kenaf fibers was studied at different weight ratios (30EFB:70K; 50EFB:50K; 70EFB:30K), while maintaining a total fiber loading of 50% by weight. The fibers in mat form were stacked alternately using a hand lay-up method and then subjected to hot pressing molding. Various physical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties were evaluated following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Three stages of fabrication for the composites were prepared: single oil palm EFB composites and kenaf fiber (woven and non-woven) composites. Following by oil palm EFB mat/non-woven kenaf hybrid and oil palm EFB mat/woven kenaf hybrid composites. The finding demonstrated that non-woven kenaf composites exhibited slightly higher of tensile strength and modulus with values of 84.32 MPa,2782.5 MPa, respectively compared to woven kenaf composites with value of 65.9 MPa,2630.63 MPa, respectively. Positive hybrid effects were observed indicating good tensile strength and modulus in the 50EFB:50K hybrid composites for non-woven kenaf/oil palm EFB with value of 62.26 MPa, 3579.04 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the 30EFB:70K hybrid composites exhibited highest tensile strength and modulus with values of 55.72 MPa,2972.78 MPa, respectively. The flexural strength and modulus indicated 50EFB:50K hybrid composites given highest values (113.14 MPa, 7797.86 MPa respectively) for non-woven kenaf/oil palm hybrid composites while the 30EFB:70K hybrid composites showed highest values (115.8 MPa, 8724.7 MPa respectively) for woven kenaf/oil palm EFB hybrid composites. However, oil palm EFB composites exhibited higher impact strength due to high-speed impact loads and the chemical composition of oil palm EFB with a values of 8.5 J. Similarly, to impact properties, oil palm EFB composites reported higher void content, water absorption, and thickness swelling attributed to their random orientation and wetting of the fibers. Kenaf fiber composites for both woven and non-woven exhibited excellent thermal properties thus improving hybridizing of oil palm EFB/woven and non-woven hybrid composites. Overall, the 50EFB:50K hybrid composites exhibited the best thermal stability, char residue, and decomposition temperature for both hybrid composites. This is attributed to the inclusion of fibers inhibiting segmental motion within the composite structure, thereby boosting the thermal stability of the hybrid composites. Further research and improvements can be applied to enhance the properties of oil palm EFB/kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites.

Text 118549.pdf Download (1MB) Official URL or Download Paper: http://ethesis.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/18394

Actions (login required)

View Item