Thermite frass biomass and surface modified biowaste coir fiber reinforced biocomposites—Conversion of waste to useful products

Polymer composites are known for its light weight and specific mechanical characteristics. This study examines sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-treated coir fiber, an agro-leftover, stuffed in a polyester matrix with termite frass powder, a bio-leftover for possible use in light-weight structural applications. Composite samples were made using compression molding and NaOH-treated coir fiber reinforced hybrid polymer composite (TCRHPC) with 40 wt% treated coir fiber and 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt% termite frass powder. TCRHPC samples mechanical, water captivation, tribological, and thermal properties were affected by termite frass powder wt%. The TCRHPC sample with 3 wt% termite frass powder has excellent mechanical properties, which improved by tensile (41.6%), flexural (28.57%), impact (43.7%), and hardness (18.84%) properties. With perfect water captivation and low weight increases in normal water (0.017 g), seawater (0.015 g), and NaOH solution (0.010 g), the identical composite sample with thermal stability up to 238°C also reduced wear mass by 5.27%. Conversely, filler agglomeration and heterogeneous dispersion in composite sample impair thermo-mechanical characteristics of TCRHPC containing 4 wt% termite frass powder. The bonding among polyester, treated coir fiber, and termite frass powder in composites were appraised with the aid of fractographic images of TCRHPC samples. The results show that TCRHPC material suits well for support structures requiring lesser weight.