Renewable and sustainable waste coconut spathe fabric biocomposites: fabrication to characterization

Abstract

To address the use of nondegradable thermoplastics in a variety of industries, there is a growing emphasis on the development of waste lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced eco-friendly biocomposites. The current study focuses on fabricating composites using waste coconut spathe fabric as lignocellulosic reinforcement and melamine–formaldehyde (MF) modified soy resin, followed by physical and mechanical properties evaluation. The coconut-soy-MF composite had a maximum tensile strength of 47.2 MPa, tensile modulus of 978 MPa, flexural strength of 42.3 MPa, a storage modulus of 2378 MPa, and an impact strength of approximately 11.4 kJ/m² due to basic chemical interactions. After 24 h, the optimized composite absorbed just 30.5% of the water and was found to be hydrolytically stable. These composites are evaluated for deterioration by burying them in compost, then monitoring weight loss and taking microscopic photos. Using discarded coconut spathe fiber-reinforced composite can be useful for interior ornamental products and the packaging industry, substituting hazardous thermoplastics.

Graphical Abstract