Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption Behaviour of Durian Rind Cellulose Reinforced Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites

Environmental concerns have resulted in replacing petrochemically derived polymer with biodegradable renewable resource. In this study, mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of durian rind cellulose reinforced poly(lactic acid) biocomposites were investigated. Poly(lactic acid) was mixed with 25 and 35 wt. % of durian rind cellulose that was derived from durian consumption wastes. The biocomposties were melt-blended at 165 and 175 °C with 15 min using a Brabender internal mixer followed by a hot compression moulding technique. The results showed that impact strength and modulus of Young increased with increasing of cellulose content but decreased at higher mixing temperature. Water absorption behaviour of biocomposites as function of days was also investigated. It was found that the water absorption amount of biocomposites increased with increasing of cellulose content and exposure time.