The viability of using cellulosic Cymbopogon flexuosus root (CFR) fiber waste from the industry as a reinforcing material in a polyester-reinforced composite was investigated. Initially, CFR anatomy, mechanical, thermal, physio-chemical, morphological, and spectroscopy behaviors were investigated. Spectroscopy and chemical analysis were evidence for the richness of cellulose content (74.33%) in the fiber which reflected in increased tensile strength of 315.22 ± 61.72 MPa and thermal stability 272.31 C. Fiber reinforcement was varied from 0 to 50 wt% at random orientation and mechanical, and water absorption properties were correlated with the glass fiber reinforced composite of the same weight percentage. The composite with a 40% fiber combination has an enhancement in mechanical, morphological, and thermal characterization. This comprehensive study confirms the usage of this bio-material in replacing harmful synthetic material in structural, marine and mechanical industrial applications.
In this research article, a leftover of Cymbopogon flexuosus stem (CFS) collected from the oil extraction industry was examined for its ability as a reinforcing agent in a polymer composite. Anatomical, morphological, physical, chemical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of the CFS fiber were examined. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of higher amount of cellulose (68.13%), which offers better bonding properties and higher tensile strength (431.19 ± 23.96 MPa). Moreover, the density of the fiber (1270 kg/m3) found using physical analysis was less than that of synthetic fibers, which paves a path in replacing hazardous synthetic fiber. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectrum spectroscopy analyses were conducted to study the functional groups of the extracted CFS fiber. The thermal stability (253.17°C), activation energy (73.01 kJ/mol), and maximum degradation temperature (345.08°C) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of the fiber with crystallinity index (46.02%) and crystallite size (13.96 nm). The CFS had a smooth surface, as conformed by an atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscope analysis. Altogether, this study highlights the feasibility of leftover CFS fiber residue as reinforcement in biopolymer matrices replacing synthetic fiber.
Nowadays, scientists and researchers working on polymer composites are paying much attention to the discovery of prospective plant fibers in order to build a promising fiber-reinforced polymer composite. The present study investigated the efficacy of using a novel Furcraea selloa K. Koch peduncle fiber in reinforced composites, and the specific composite characterization was done to explore the absolute fiber length and weight ratio to accomplish superior composite properties. For that, peduncle fibers with different length-to-weight ratios were reinforced with unsaturated polyester and the corresponding composites were tested to decide the optimum fiber length-to-weight ratio for obtaining the utmost composite properties. The results indicated that the highest mechanical properties were allied with a composite reinforced with 30 mm fiber length and 30 wt.% with the tensile strength of 103.51 MPa and flexural strength of 144.65 MPa. While the remaining tested volumes showed decreased properties as compared to optimal, which might be due to debonding effects or less interfacial bonding as examined clearly in SEM images of fractured samples. Enhanced thermal stability with 390°C and relatively reduced water absorption rate was observed in the case of optimal range when compared to other testing dimensions. Moreover, the current study confirmed that FSPF composites possess promising comparable properties which would be a good alternative to existing synthetic composites.
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