Green composites of bio-based epoxy and waste tea fiber as environmentally friendly structural materials

Abstract

Bio-derived epoxy green composites were fabricated using waste tea fibers and their durability was studied under aggressive environments. The fibers were first mercerized and subsequently functionalized with maleic anhydride. Functionalization resulted in improved adhesion as well as uniform distribution of the fibers in the matrix. Although, the tensile strength was lower than the pristine, improvements were recorded in their mechanical strengths (tensile strength up to 16.1 MPa) compared to un-modified ones, with good elongation at break (23.8%). The green composites also demonstrated good thermal stability up to 244 °C. On investigating the durability toward disparate chemical and physical environments, all the materials exhibited high resistance under extreme temperatures (2 and 70 °C) and UV irradiation and showed remarkable enhancements in tensile strength after aging (up to 65.8% and 49.5%, respectively). This study ensured promising outdoor applications of this green composite derived using waste materials as a benign durable material.