Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) reinforced in new unsaturated polyester composite

ABSTRACT: The mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, and impact properties) and water absorption of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) reinforced in new unsaturated polyester composites were studied. New OPEFB reinforced polyester composite derived from new unsaturated polyester resin containing bis-(2-hydroxylethyl) fumarate (monomer I) which was synthesized from ethylene glycol with fumaric acid in the presence of P-toluene sulfonic acid as catalyst was prepared. The chemical structure was confirmed by CHN analysis, FT-IR, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. New unsaturated polyester was carried out by the condensation reaction between terepthaloyl chloride and monomer I. The chemical structure of this polymer was confirmed by CHN analyses, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). KEY WORDS: bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) fumarate, synthesis, new unsaturated polyester, composite, oil palm empty fruit bunches