Effect of flame retardant and titanium dioxide on the properties of wood- substituted composite reinforced with short agro-waste pineapple leaf fiber for community enterprise

Abstract

Short pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) from fresh agro-waste pineapple leaf was successfully prepared by the chopping and milling techniques. The effect of the addition of pineapple leaf fiber, Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) on the properties of polypropylene (PP) composites was investigated in this work. TiO2 and DAP was used as additive and flame retardant, respectively. Enhanced flexural modulus was observed for all composites, especially 73TD11 which the value of flexural modulus increased about 47. 37% to 840 MPa compared with the PP matrix. However, water adsorption of composites only reinforced with PALF increased due to their hydrophilic characteristic. While the incorporation of TiO2 and DAP provided the tortuous pathway in the matrix that restricted the free motion of water molecules, thereby the decrease of water adsorption. From the result of UL-94 testing, the present of TiO2 and DAP in PALF reinforced composites remarkably achieved slower burning rate and longer-lasting protection because the higher quality char was formed during the combustion. As the results, PP composite reinforced with PALF can be alternative approach for wood-substituted composite development to strengthen community enterprises and to promote the environmentally friendly and cost-effectively management of agricultural waste.