Comprehensive characterization of industrial discarded cymbopogon flexuosus fiber as potential reinforcement in polymer matrix

Abstract

The current interest in green composites emerges an awareness newlineamong the researchers in utilizing sustainable and biodegradable products as newlinealternate materials for polymer reinforcement due to their comparable newlineproperties to conventional synthetic fibres. The polymer properties can be newlinemodified by reinforcing natural fibres and fillers to suit the design requirements. newlineLignocellulosic filler and fibres extracted from various natural sources like newlinerice husk, walnut shells powder, peanut shell powder, sugarcane bagasse, newlinecoconut shell powder, bamboo flour, hemp fibre, kenaf fibre, flax fibre, ramie newlinefibre and jute fibre has been utilized by the researchers in manufacturing newlinelow-cost green composite. In a similar line, the feasibility of using a leftover newlineCymbopogon flexuosus (CF) plant waste from the oil production industry as a newlinereinforcing agent in polymer composites is investigated. The anatomy, newlinemechanical, morphology, thermal, chemical, physical, and spectroscopic newlineproperties of the Cymbopogon flexuosus stem (CFS), Cymbopogon flexuosus newlineroot (CFR), and Cymbopogon flexuosus plant shoot (CFPS) were studied newlineand correlated to those of other natural lignocellulosic fillers and fibres. newlineThe CFR and CFS fibres were extracted through a microbial newlinedegradation process followed by mining to remove layer and soils present in newlinethem. The CFS fibre density (1.270 g/cm3) is comparatively lower than CFR newlinefibre (1.330 g/cm3) and many other natural fibres. To investigate the functional newlinegroups and elements of fibre, NMR, FTIR, and EDX spectroscopy analyses of newlineCFS and CFR fibre were performed. The semi-crystalline nature of CFS and newlineCFR fibre was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, with crystallinity newlineindexes of 46.02 percent and 36.8 percent, respectively. The CFS single fibre newlinetensile strength was carried out in both CFS and CFR fibre, which shows a newlinetensile strength of 431.19± 23.96 and 315.22± 61.72MPa with 0.8±0.1 and newline6.6± 2.7% average failure strain. newline