In this work, polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) were prepared through solution casting technique. The CNW was first isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunch microcrystalline cellulose (OPEFB-MCC) by using 64% H2SO4 and was designated as CNW-S. The optical microscopy revealed that the large particle of OPEFB-MCC has been broken down by the hydrolysis treatment. The atomic force microscopy confirmed that the CNW-S obtained is in nanoscale dimension and appeared in individual rod-like character. The produced CNW-S was then incorporated with PLA at 1, 3, and 5 parts per hundred (phr) resins for the PLA-CNW-S nanocomposite production. The synthesized nanocomposites were then characterized by a mean of tensile properties and thermal stability. Interestingly to note that incorporating of 3 phr/CNW-S in PLA improved the tensile strength by 61%. Also, CNW-S loading showed a positive impact on the Young's modulus of PLA. The elongation at break (Eb) of nanocomposites, however, decreased with the addition of CNW-S. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the CNW-S dispersed well in PLA at lower filler loading before it started to agglomerate at higher CNW-S loading (5phr). The DSC analysis of the nanocomposites obtained showed that Tg,Tcc and Tm values of PLA were improved with CNW-S loading. The TGA analysis however, revealed that incopreated CNW-S in PLA effect the thermal stability (T10,T50 and Tmax) of nanocomposite, where it decrease linearly with CNW-S loading.

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Acid hydrolysis method was used to isolate microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) total chlorine free bleached pulp. The derived MCC was incorporated into polylactic acid (PLA) using solution casting technique in order to produce PLA/MCC composites. The chemical structure of the cellulose fragments remains unaltered as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy despite acid hydrolysis. X-ray diffraction showed that the MCC has a cellulose I polymorph with 87% crystallinity index. The addition of MCC into PLA enhanced not only the thermal stability but also the Young's modulus of the PLA/MCC composites by approximately 30% at 5 phr MCC contents compared to pure PLA. However a decrease in tensile strength and elongation at break of the PLA/MCC composites were observed due to the poor dispersion of MCC in the PLA matrix

Lignin was obtained from black liquor samples from soda-AQ pulping of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber. Oil palm EFB reinforced epoxy composite samples with varying lignin content of 15, 20, 25, and 30% as curing agent were prepared. The chemical structures of lignin were characterized by FT-IR, and CHN analysis. FT-IR and CHN analysis confirmed structural changes of epoxy resin after use of EFB-lignin as curing agent in epoxy resin. Thermal analysis of composites was carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The TGA graphs showed that crosslinking of epoxy and lignin as curing agent may induce relatively high-chain rigidity in the polymer and may result in an enhanced thermal stability of the EFB/lignin-epoxy composite systems. The mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, and impact behavior) and physical properties (water absorption) of the composite samples were evaluated. Mechanical properties of epoxy composites cured with 25% lignin were found to be higher than that of the composite prepared from a commercial curing agent. Scanning electron micrographs showing tensile fracture of the composites showed evidence of good fiber–matrix interaction, induced by the curing agent.