Eco-friendly sugarcane biochar filler for enhanced mechanical properties in S-glass/polyester hybrid composites

Abstract

In the pursuit of sustainable materials for composite fabrication, this study investigates the utilization of eco-friendly sugarcane biochar as a filler to enhance the mechanical properties of S-Glass/polyester hybrid composites. The incorporation of sugarcane biochar aims to mitigate environmental concerns associated with conventional fillers while simultaneously improving composite performance. Two techniques were utilized in the fabrication composites such as hand layup and vacuum bagging methods. Composite was fabricated with varying weight percentage of sugarcane biochar concentrations such as 5, 10, and 15 wt%. The mechanical behaviour of the composites was assessed through tensile, flexural, impact, and hardness tests. It is noted that the composites that comprised sugarcane biochar at concentrations as high as 10 wt% demonstrated the highest mechanical strength and performance. The maximum tensile strength of 119 MPa, flexural strength of 154 MPa and impact strength of 45 MPa was noted on the 10 wt% biochar composite. The findings underscore the effectiveness of sugarcane biochar as a filler in improving the mechanical behaviour of S-Glass/polyester hybrid composites. The successful integration of sugarcane biochar not only contributes to the development of sustainable composite materials but also highlights its potential to achieve superior mechanical performance.