Thermal and Mechanical Characterization of Coir Fibre–Reinforced Polypropylene Biocomposites

Abstract

In recent years, the growth of environmental awareness has increased the interest in the development of biocomposites which are sustainable materials with an excellent price–performance ratio and low weight. The current study aimed to obtain and characterize the biocomposites prepared by thermoforming using coir fibres as reinforcing material and polypropylene as matrix. The biocomposites were produced with different coir fibres/polypropylene ratios and were characterized by physical–mechanical indices, thermal analysis, crystallinity, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and chromatic measurements. Both tensile and bending strength of biocomposites decreased when the coir fibre content increased. The melting temperature of biocomposite materials has decreased with the increase of the coir fibre loading. Regarding the thermal stability, the weight loss and degradation temperature increased with decreasing coir fibre content. The ATR-FTIR and SEM analyses underlined the modifications that took place in the structure of the biocomposites by modifying the coir fibres/matrix ratio.

Bio‐Polypropylene and Polypropylene‐based Biocomposites: Solutions for a Sustainable Future

“…In a recent work, Muresan et al [56] . studied the thermomechanical properties of PP/coir fiber biocomposites prepared through thermoforming technique.…”

Recycling of Nonwoven Waste Resulting from the Manufacturing Process of Hemp Fiber-Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene Composites for Upholstered Furniture Products

“…The combination of different possible reinforcements and matrices provides composite materials with a wide range of properties that are suitable for their end use (chairs, stools, tables, shelves, cupboards, sofa frames, racks, etc.). Composite materials for furniture applications have been obtained using different reinforcement fibers, both natural and synthetic, such as carbon [5], glass [6], hemp [7][8][9], flax [10], jute [11], kenaf [12], coir [13][14][15], oil palm [16,17], banana [18], and wood [19][20][21]. Nowadays, carbon and fiberglass reinforcements are increasingly being replaced by natural fibers that make composite materials environmentally friendly [22][23][24][25], sustainable [26][27][28][29], lightweight [30][31][32], and affordable [33][34][35][36], in addition to providing good mechanical properties [37][38][39][40].…”

“…Composite materials that contain 50% hemp fibers as reinforcement and 50% recycled polypropylene (rPP) as a matrix were produced by thermoforming by a Romanian furniture Sustainability 2023, 15, 3635 2 of 20 manufacturing company. The selected materials allow for the manufacturing of goodquality sustainable products for a low price.…”

Impact of distinct alkaline treatment on natural plant fibre reinforced polymer composites

“…25 There are several applications of coir fibre-reinforced composites such as ceilings, furnishings, equipment's, partitioning boards, acoustic panelling for sound insulation and panels for car interior applications. 26 Moreover, the easy and wide availability of these fibres within India inspired the authors to think about the research prospective in this area. The current study focuses on how the different concentration and time duration of alkaline treatment and fibre volume fraction affects the composite's mechanical properties.…”