Utilisation of particles of coconut shell and cow bone as reinforcing materials for the production of low density hybrid polyethylene matrix composites by stir casting method was carried out. 50 µm coconut shell and 50 µm cow bone particulates in different proportions (5-25 wt. %) were mixed with polyethylene and the microstructural, physical and mechanical characterisations were determined using standardised methods. The hybrid composite exhibited desirable properties in terms of water absorption (0.3 %) indicating reduced pores/voids. It also exhibited ultimate tensile strength (1.78 MPa) and hardness (12.78 HBN) at 15 wt. % filler addition. The uniform dispersion of the reinforcing particles as observed in the SEM microstructure and the strong adhesion of the particles and polyethylene matrix contributed to the enhancement of the tensile strength and hardness of the composites. Increasing the filler concentration beyond 15 wt. % caused a decrease in the average inter-particle distance/spacing thereby increasing the amount of interparticle stress concentration overlap. This led to higher levels of debonding when tensile stress was applied. This ultimately impaired the tensile strength of the composites. The strain energy stored in the matrix which could be equal to the

Composites are produced when two or more materials are used to give combination of properties that cannot be attained otherwise. This study aims to use crab shell and charcoal reinforcements to enhance the mechanical properties of polyester composites and decrease the environmental pollution caused by the agro waste. In this study, 5 – 25 wt. % of 100 g of grounded charcoal and crab shell with an average particles size of 150 µm were used for polyester matrix composites. Flexural strength, impact resistance, hardness and elastic modulus tests were carried out on the developed samples. The microstructure of the samples revealed a uniform distribution of the reinforcements within the polymer matrix with different morphology of the biocomposites. The results showed that the greatest flexural strength value of 361.37 MPa was obtained at 25 wt. % and the highest Brinell hardness number (BHN) was 118.27 at 20 wt. %. However, the highest modulus of elasticity was 335.63 MPa at 15 wt. % reinforcement with crab shell reinforced and was 308.64 MPa with charcoal reinforcements at 20 wt. %. Furthermore, the highest impact energy was 5.49 J for crab shell and 5.31 J for charcoal reinforced polyester composite. The development of the biocomposites of these materials will decrease the environmental pollution and improve the properties of the polyester matrix composites for engineering applications.

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In this study, an experimental research was conducted in developing and characterising sugarcane bagasse and pineapple leaf particulate particulate reınforced polyester resın composıtes. Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was reinforced with sugarcane bagasse and pineapple leaf particulates in varied proportions (0 – 25 wt. %) by mould casting. Morphology and mechanical properties of the composites were examined. There was a good dispersion of particulates in the polyester resin. The sugarcane bagasse reinforced composite demonstrated the highest tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact energy of 84.94 MPa, 121.16 MPa, and 7.37 J respectively at 20 wt. % reinforcement. The tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact energy of the composites improved with increasing concentration of the reinforcement. This is an indication of the suitability of the reinforcing materials as fillers for unsaturated polyester resin and an indication of the potential the polymer matrix composite has for low strength applications.