Studying Mechanical, Thermal and Absorption, Characteristics of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) Plant Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites

The natural fiber extracted from water hyacinth waste could be used for making natural fiber polymer composites. The main intent of this manuscript is to develop polymer composite materials reinforced by aquatic wastewater hyacinth natural fibers having varying lengths. The water hyacinth fibers were extracted using a mechanical drum extractor followed by a drying process at a speed of 320 rpm. Mechanical testing of the composites was conducted as per the relevant ASTM standard and subsequently, thermo gravimetric analysis was also conducted to assess the thermal characteristics of the composites. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray diffraction (xRD) techniques were employed to characterize the elemental and microstructural properties of the composites. A 20 mm fiber length with a 30% fiber content resulted in the best mechanical properties. Fractured surfaces from the composite samples are evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Brittle fracture, fiber pulled out, fiber clusters are identified as the general failure characteristics of the composites. This study demonstrated that the hyacinth fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite could be useful for developing particleboard products, as well as other lightweight products.