Preparation and characterization of natural fiber filled polystyrene composite using in situ polymerisation technique

Abstract

ABSTRACT In view of depleting petroleum reserves and to decrease the dependence on petroleum products, there is an increasing interest in maximising the use of renewable material. The use of agricultural waste materials like husk particles not only provides an environmental friendly alternative but could also generate a unique source of economic development for farming sector in rural areas. In this work, polystyrene composites using wheat husk, rice husk and mustard husk as fillers are synthesised using in situ polymerisation technique. Three different filler loading (5%, 10% and 15%) and three different filler sizes (250–355 µ, 355–500 µ, 500–710 µ) were utilised for the studying the effect of these compositions on different mechanical properties of the synthesised composites. The results have shown that the filler size 250–355 µ and 5% loading give the maximum values for tensile strength, flexural strength and hardness for all the three types of fillers. While in case of water absorptivity the lower the size/filler loading, lesser would be the water absorbed.