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Chrysanthemum flowers are usually used for cultural and religious ceremonies however, the chrysanthemum stems are left for open burning or landfilling on many farmlands. These stems are one of the sources of agricultural waste in Malaysia that cause environmental impacts. In order to reduce the impact of chrysanthemum stems, this research study has utilised these valuable chrysanthemum stems in producing a new polymer composite. Hence, the present research study focuses on the preparation of non-woven and woven chrysanthemum stem fibre (CSF) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPs) composites via simple hand lay-up method. The results showed the tensile properties (tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of woven fibre filled UPs was higher than non-woven fibre filled UPs composites. However, non-woven fibre filled UPs presented higher water absorption and elongation at break as compared to woven fibre filled UPs composites. Furthermore, bleaching treatment with hydrogen peroxide is carried out in order to improve the tensile properties and water resistance of UPs/CSF composites. The functional groups of unbleached and bleached fibres were analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. Some lignin, hemicellulose and impurities of CSF have been removed after the bleaching treatment on CSF, as proven by FTIR results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research covers the preparation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/sugarcane leaves fibre (SLF) biofilms via a solvent-casting method. The results showed that the tensile strength and Young's modulus of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. Nevertheless, the elongation at break showed an opposite trend as compared to tensile strength and Young's modulus of biofilms. Moreover, water absorption properties of PLA/SLF biofilms increased with the increasing of SLF content. In contrast, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of biofilms were enhanced after bleaching treatment with hydrogen peroxide on SLF, but the elongation at break and water absorption properties of bleached biofilms were reduced due to the improvement of filler–matrix adhesion in biofilms. The tensile and water properties were further discussed using B-factor and Fick's law, respectively. Furthermore, the functional groups of unbleached and bleached SLF were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study covered the preparation and characterization of durian husk cellulose (DHC)‐filled chitosan (CS) biocomposite films. The effects of the DHC content and bleaching treatment via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the tensile and thermal properties of the CS/DHC biocomposite films were investigated. The results showed that the tensile strength and percentage of elongation at break decreased with increasing DHC contents, but the modulus of elasticity of the CS/DHC biocomposite films increased along with the DHC contents. The bleaching treatment of the durian husk is to remove the lignin content to form bleached DHC, resulting in an improvement of tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and thermal properties of bleached CS/DHC biocomposite films. The functional groups of the unbleached and bleached DHC filler were proved by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, and the thermal stability and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the CS/DHC biocomposite films were measured by the thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, biodegradable composites from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber were prepared by melt blending method. Prior to mixing, the fiber was modified through bleaching treatment using hydrogen peroxide. Bleached fiber composite showed an improvement in mechanical properties as compared to untreated fiber composite due to the enhanced fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion. Interestingly, fiber bleaching treatment also improved the physical appearance of the composite. The study was extended by blending the composites with commercially available masterbatch colorant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]