Development and Characterization of Low Cost Composite from Sugarcane Bagasse Waste

Abstract

Environmental awareness today motivates the researchers, worldwide on the studies of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite and cost effective option to synthetic fiber reinforced composites. The availability of natural fibers and ease of manufacturing have tempted researchers to try locally available inexpensive fibers and to study their feasibility of reinforcement purposes and to what extent they satisfy the required specifications of good reinforced polymer composite for different applications. With low cost and high specific mechanical properties, natural fiber represents a good renewable and biodegradable
alternative to the most common synthetic reinforcement, i.e. glass fiber. Despite the interest and environmental appeal of natural fibers, there use is limited to non- bearing applications, due to their lower strength compared with synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composite. The stiffness and strength shortcomings of biocomposites can be overcome by structural configurations and better arrangement in a sense of placing the fibers in specific locations for highest strength performance. Accordingly extensive studies on preparation and properties of polymer matrix composite (PMC) replacing the synthetic fiber with natural fiber like Jute, Sisal, Pineapple, Bamboo and Kenaf were carried out. These plant fibers have many advantages over glass fiber or carbon fiber like renewable, environmental friendly, low cost, lightweight and high specific mechanical performance. Large varieties of sugar cane grow abundantly in many parts of India. Bagasse is considered to be a by-product of the milling process after production of sugar. Bagasse (fibrous residue) is essentially a waste product that causes mills to incur additional disposal costs. Bagasse is mainly used as a burning raw material in the sugar cane mill furnaces. The low caloric power of bagasse makes this a low efficiency process. Also, the sugar cane mill management encounters problems regarding regulations of “clean air” from the Environmental Protection Agency, due to the quality of the smoke released in the atmosphere. Presently 85% of bagasse production is burnt. Even so, there is an excess of bagasse. Usually this excess is deposited on empty fields altering the landscape.