Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Treated Kenaf Bast Pulp Fiber Reinforcement in Epoxy Composite

Due to environmental concerns, green composites have become a highly researched material. In the present study, kenaf fiber was used as reinforcement in epoxy-based composite with weight fraction ranges from 0, 5, 10, and 15% (w/w of resin). The ratio of epoxy to hardener was 65:32.5. Prior to incor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of renewable materials 2017-10, Vol.5 (5), p.380-387
Main Authors: Aprilia, N. A. Sri, Atiqah, M. S. Nurul, Ismail, Zhari, Loo, Saurabh, Chaturbhuj K., Dungani, Rudi, Khalil H. P. S, Abdul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bleaching
Carbon dioxide
Chlorine
Epoxy Composite
Fiber reinforcement
Flexural strength
Kenaf
Kenaf Fiber
Mechanical Properties
Modulus of elasticity
Modulus of rupture in bending
Pulp
Pulping
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction
Tensile strength
Vegetable fibers
Water Absorption
Wetting
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Summary:Due to environmental concerns, green composites have become a highly researched material. In the present study, kenaf fiber was used as reinforcement in epoxy-based composite with weight fraction ranges from 0, 5, 10, and 15% (w/w of resin). The ratio of epoxy to hardener was 65:32.5. Prior to incorporation, kenaf bast fiber underwent Soda-AQ pulping followed by total chlorine-free bleaching (OAZP sequence). The obtained pulp was then subjected to supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCE) treatment. It was observed that epoxy composite with 10% of fiber loading demonstrated the highest mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 64 MPa, tensile modulus of 1.64 GPa, flexural strength of 83 MPa, and flexural modulus of elasticity of 2.94 GPa. The observed improvement was due to the SCE process which enhanced the wetting process of fiber. However, at 15% mechanical properties decreased due to void formation since fiber could not be dispersed properly in epoxy matrix at high concentration.
ISSN:2164-6325
2164-6341
DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634130