Recipe optimisation for sugarcane bagasse fibre reinforced soy protein biocomposite

A series of biodegradable composites has been prepared using sugarcane bagasse fibres as reinforcement and soy protein isolate (SPI) as matrix. Sugarcane bagasse has been pretreated with 2% NaOH solution for improving its reinforcement. Recipe for matrix includes soy protein isolate as prime ingredient, glyoxal as crosslinking agent and glycerol as plasticizer. The composites are characterised for tensile properties. Three-factor and three-level Box-Behnken design is used to optimize the mass fraction of fibres, percentage of crosslinking and plasticizing agent. The model predicts that the best possible results would be achieved with the recipe having 20% fibres with matrix recipe of 11% glyoxal, 17.7% glycerol and 51.3% SPI by weight. The predicted and observed tensile strength of composite is found to be comparable. The glycerol content is found to play an important role in improvement of tensile property of composite