Mechanical, Moisture Absorption and Thermal Stability of Banana Fiber/Egg Shell Powder-Based Epoxy Composites

Abstract

This study aims to explore the viability of adding a hybrid blend of eggshell and banana fibers treated with NaOH to improve the structural characteristics of epoxy composites. In order to determine their appropriateness for different applications, the study includes assessments of mechanical performance, water permeability, and heat transfer properties. Chicken eggshell was used to make calcined eggshell particulate (CEP), and bananas were used to obtain processed banana fibers (TBF). For the creation of bio-composites, NaOH-treated banana fiber (30 wt.%) was integrated into an epoxy matrix with different weight percentages of CEP (like 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 wt.%) through the hand layup with a vacuum backing technique. Examination of the data revealed that, in comparison to epoxy with no reinforcement, the addition of bio-fillers improved the thermal insulation (4 wt.% of CEP exhibits 0.052 W/mk), water absorption (4 wt.% of CEP produced 5.31%), flexural strength (20 wt.% of CEP exhibit 36.57 MPa), and modulus (12 wt.% of CEP exhibit 300.12 MPa) of the hybrids. This suggests that by lowering the conductivity of the bio-based composites, the inclusion of these bio-based reinforcements improved their thermal insulation ability. The resistance to temperature fluctuations is stronger when there is less thermal conductivity.

Keywords

• banana fiber
• moisture absorption
• thermal properties
• egg shell powder
• hybrid composites