Impact of brown algae particles on the mechanical properties of jute-reinforced polymeric composites for sustainable development

Abstract

The growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly composites has driven extensive research into natural fillers for polymer composites. While previous studies have explored various natural fillers, they often face challenges in achieving an optimal balance between mechanical properties, biodegradability, and cost-effectiveness. Brown algae, a form of marine algae, pose environmental issues in the ocean due to its abundant presence in various water sources and the sea. The current study deals with the effective usage of brown algae filler and solid waste in the seafood industry. This brown algae waste was powdered and used as fillers in jute fabrics reinforced epoxy composites. Four different composites were developed using the traditional hand layup process consisting of four layers of jute fabrics filled with 0, 3, 6, and 9 wt ratios. Tensile, flexural, impact, and shear strength were evaluated in the fabricated samples. Adding 6 wt.% brown algae filler in the jute fiber composite enhanced the tensile strength by 34.39 MPa and improved the impact strength to 101.24 J/m2. There is a 73.16 MPa increase in flexural strength and 47.45 MPa shear strength in the brown algae-filled jute fiber polymer composites. When the brown algae filler content in the jute fiber is above 6 wt.%, the mechanical properties of the jute polymer epoxy composite are reduced. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed that failure was due to fiber breakage, pull-outs, and higher brown algae filler loading produced a lack of enough interfacial adhesion between fibers.

Keywords

• Algae
• Marine waste
• Jute fiber
• Mechanical properties
• Waste to sustainable product