Extraction and Characterization of Natural Aquatic Plant Fiber, Powder and Ash from Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as Reinforcement of Fiber, Powder, and Ash Reinforced Polymer Composite

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, utilization of fibers from aquatic natural plants is widely adopted due to their performance, cost effectiveness, availability, and its properties. Hyacinth plant contains 65% of cellulose content and 0.416 to 0.965 g cm−3 particle density. This paper focuses on various applications of utilizing aquatic weed water hyacinth (WH) plant into plant powder, ash, and fibers as the reinforcement of composite materials for commercial applications. The average tensile, flexural, and impact strength of WH dried plant powder and ash composites of hyacinth plant fibers are 17.4, 23.8 and 28.4 MPa; 32.6, 46.4, and 56.5 MPa; 0.05, 0.06, and 0.20 J with 30 wt% of primary reinforcement. The essential chemical functional group was identified through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy method. With the help of XRD characterization, the crystallinity index of WH fiber, powder, and ash composites was determined at 58%, 64% and 66%. The morphological structure of its surface was investigated through scanning electron microscope. Based on the analytical results derived from mechanical and characterization studies, it has been found that WH can be a best alternative for bio-composites or fiber-reinforced polymer composites for light weight material applications.