Abstract
Banana fiber, a waste product of banana cultivation, has been used to prepare banana fiber reinforced soy protein composites. Alkali modified banana fibers were characterized in terms of density, denier and crystallinity index. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were also performed on the fibers. Soy protein composites were prepared by incorporating different volume fractions of alkali-treated and untreated fibers into soy protein isolate (SPI) with different amounts of glycerol (25%–50%) as plasticizer. Composites thus prepared were characterized in terms of mechanical properties, SEM and water resistance. The results indicate that at 0.3 volume fraction, tensile strength and modulus of alkali treated fiber reinforced soy protein composites increased to 82% and 963%, respectively, compared to soy protein film without fibers. Water resistance of the composites increased significantly with the addition of glutaraldehyde which acts as cross-linking agent. Biodegradability of the composites has also been tested in the contaminated environment and the composites were found to be 100% biodegradable.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Hill S. Cars that grow on trees. New Scientists, 1997, 36: 2067–2068
Wang B, Sain M, Oksman K. Study of structural morphology of hemp fiber from the micro to the nanoscale. Appl Compos Mater, 2007, 14: 89–103
Paetau I, Chen C Z, Jane J. Biodegradable plastic made from soybean products. II. Effects of cross-linking and cellulose incorporation on mechanical properties and water absorption. J Environ Polym Degrad, 1994, 2: 211–217
Oksman K, Clemmons C. Mechanical properties and morphology of impact modified polypropylene-wood flour composites. J Appl Polym Sci, 1998, 67: 1503–1513
Maurizio A, Luca C, Ramiro D, Bonaventura F, Ezio M, Annamaria M. Broom fibers as reinforcing materials for polypropylene-based composites. J Appl Polym Sci, 1998, 68: 1077–1089
Kumar R B, Amma M L G, Thomas S. Short sisal fiber reinforced styrene-butadiene rubber composites. J Appl Polym Sci, 1995, 58: 597–612
Chen X, Guo Q, Mi Y. Bamboo fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites: A study of the mechanical properties. J Appl Polym Sci, 1998, 69: 1891–1899
Pothen L A, Thomas S, Neelakandan N R. Short banana fiber reinforced polyester composites: Mechanical, failure and aging characteristics. J Reinforced Plast Compos, 1997, 16: 744–765
Das S, Saha A K, Choudhary P K, Basak R K, Mitra B C, Lang S. Effect of steam pretreatment of jute fiber on dimensional stability of jute composite. J Appl Polym Sci, 2000, 76: 1652–1661
Pickering K L, Li Y, Farell R L, Lay M. Interfacial modification of hemp fiber reinforced composites using fungal and alkali treatment J, Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 2007, 1: 109–117
Kumar R, Liu D, Zhang L. Advances in proteinous biomaterials. J Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 2008, 2: 1–24
Kumar R, Mishra S, Choudhary V, Varma I K. Enzymatically modified soy protein Part2-adhesion behaviour. J Adhesion Sc Technol, 2004, 18: 261–273
Sain M M, Kokta B V J. Toughened thermoplastic composite. I. Cross-linkable phenol formaldehyde and epoxy resinscoated cellulosic-filled polypropylene composites. J Appl Polym Sci, 1993, 48: 2181–2196
Mwaikambo L Y, Ansell M P. Chemical modification of hemp, sisal, jute, and kapok fibers by alkalization. J Appl Polym Sci, 2002, 84: 2222–2234
Mohanty A K, Khan M A, Sahoo S, Hinrichsen G. Effect of chemical modification on the performance of biodegradable jute yarn-Biopol® composites, J Mat Sci. 2000, 35: 2589–2595
Otaigbe J U, Goel H, Babcock T, Jane J. Processability and properties of biodegradable plastics made from agricultural biopolymers. J Elastomers Plast, 1999, 31: 56–71
Paetau I, Chen C Z, Jane J L. Biodegradable plastic made from soybean products. 1. Effect of preparation and processing on mechanical properties and water absorption. Ind Eng Chem Res, 1994, 33: 1821–1827
Liang F, Wang Y, Sun S. Curing process and thermal mechanical properties of protein-based polymers. J Polym Eng, 1999, 19: 383–393
Lodha P, Netravali A N. Characterization of interfacial and mechanical properties of “green” composites with soy protein isolate and ramie fiber. J Mat Sci, 2002, 37: 3657–3665
Liu W, Mohanty A K, Askeland P, Drzal L T, Misra M. Influence of fiber surface treatment on properties of Indian grass fiber reinforced soy protein based biocomposites. Polymer, 2004, 45: 7589–7596
Madsen B, Lilholt H. Physical and mechanical properties of unidirectional plant fibre composites—an evaluation of the influence of porosity. Compos Sci Technol, 2003, 63: 1265–1272
Mwaikambo L Y, Ansell M P. Hemp fibre reinforced cashew nut shell liquid composites. Compos Sci Technol, 2003, 63: 1297–1305
Segal L, Creely J J, Martin A E, Cornad C M. An empirical method for estimating the degree of crystallinity of native cellulose using the X-Ray diffractometer. Text Res J, 1959, 29: 786–794
Thygesen A, Oddershede J, Lilholt H, Thomsen A B, Stahl K. On the determination of crystallinity and cellulose content in plant fibres. Cellulose, 2005, 12: 563–573
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, R., Choudhary, V., Mishra, S. et al. Banana fiber-reinforced biodegradable soy protein composites. Front. Chem. China 3, 243–250 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11458-008-0069-1
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11458-008-0069-1