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Environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, “green” composites were fabricated from starch-based matrix and bagasse (sugar cane waste) fibers. Native corn starch was mixed with glycerin and water, emulsified then added to the bagasse fibers previously prepared and treated by NaOH. The composite was preheated, then pressed for 30 minutes at 5 MPa and 170°C. SEM showed good adhesion between fibers and matrix up to 60wt% fibers. Density measurements showed low porosity for all composite samples up to 60wt% fibers. Both the tensile and flexural strengths increased as the fiber weight fraction increased from 0% to 60%. Water Uptake and thermal degradability tests showed higher stability for composite with increasing fiber content. The results show that the 60wt% bagasse fiber starch-based composite is an eco-friendly and inexpensive candidate for many applications.

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