Preparation and Characterisation of Green Composites : Chemicals' Effects on Fundamental Properties of Poly(Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephtalate)/Oil Palm EFB Fibre Biocomposites

In recent years, interest in renewable and biodegradable materials has increased tremendously. The global market for renewable and biodegradable materials continues to grow due to societal awareness and problems arising from non-biodegradable materials. In this research, oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibre was used as an interesting source of lignocellulosic filler in the preparation of cost effective, biodegradable composites. PBAT (Ecoflex(TM)),which is an aliphatic aromatic co-polyester, was used as bio-thermoplastic polymer matrix. The aim of this research was to fabricate a new class of biocomposite based on PBAT/EFB fibre and to improve the new biocomposites' performance by chemical modification using succinic anhydride as a coupling agent in the presence and absence of dicumyl peroxide and benzoyl peroxide initiators. Optimised proportionate loading provided impressive physical, mechanical and thermal properties. Biodegradability and FTIR analyses of samples and SEM micrographs of tensile fractured surfaces as well as many other aspects of this research has been thoroughly detailed within this publication.