Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Thermoplastic Cassava Starch/Beeswax Reinforced With Cogon Grass Fiber

Abdul Halim, Harith Hilman (2019) Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Thermoplastic Cassava Starch/Beeswax Reinforced With Cogon Grass Fiber. Project Report. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Nowadays, the concern about the environmental are rapidly growing. Non-biodegradable and environmental pollution are the side effects of the problem of the petroleum-based polymer. In order to overcome this critical issues, various types of materials that are more environmentally friendly were developed. Renewable bio-polymer is one of the promising materials that can be an alternative to petroleum-based polymer substitution as it is quickly biodegradable and more environmentally sustainable. Starch is one of the bio-polymer examples in the biodegradable polymer because of its abundant resources, low cost, biodegradability and renewability. However, the starch has poor mechanical and thermal properties. Proper modifications should therefore be implemented to enhance the properties of this material. Fibers act as reinforcement in fiber-reinforced composite materials by providing strength and rigidity in the structure. Cogon grass fiber (also known as imperata cylindrica) is a rhizomatized, permanent pantropical herb, which takes on the advantage of moist, short, severe, dry seasonal alternating conditions typical of southeastern Asia. Cogon grass is cheap and attractive feedstock to be used in feed and production of bioenergy. It has the potential to be utilized as reinforcement agent for producing bio-based composite. The objectives of this study were to develop thermoplastic cassava starch/beeswax reinforced with cogon grass fiber, second to investigate the thermal properties of thermoplastic cassava starch/beeswax reinforced with cogon grass fiber and lastly to determine the mechanical properties cassava starch/beeswax reinforced with cogon grass fiber. In this study, modified TPCS/beeswax been used as the matrix. Modification has been carried out for improving the properties of the Thermoplastic Cassava Starch (TPCS) by incorporating it with various amounts of cogon grass fiber (CGF), i.e. 10, 20, 30, and 40wt.%, respectively. TPCS/beeswax reinforced with GCF composite were developed by using high speed mixing at 1200 rpm for 6 min approximately and hot press method at 145°C for 1 hour by maintaining the composition of starch and glycerol at ratio 80:20 respectively. Then the thermal properties of the composite were investigated by performing the TGA and DSC test. The findings showed that the thermal properties of the composite were slightly improved as the CGF content increase from (10% to 40% wt.%). Besides that, the mechanical properties of the composite were evaluated by executing the tensile, impact and flexural test. The results showed that the tensile strength and tensile modulus increased significantly with the addition of the CGF. However, only the elongation at break showed a decreased pattern following the increasing content of CGF compared to the 0% of fiber content. Other than that, the impact and flexural properties also produced positive findings where the introduction of CGF increase the flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength of the material. These improvements were in accordance with the findings from the FT-IR and SEM that shows the TPCS/beeswax and the CGF were compatible and managed to form a homogenous structure. In general, the findings from this study have shown that the TPCS/beeswax reinforced with the CGF composite has improved the function at characteristic compared to the original material. In conclusion, the TPCS /beeswax reinforced with CGF composite are highly potential to be marketed in packaging industry as single-use tray. It is applicable as green handphone casing, card holder and any suitable packaging tray

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