Development of high-performance sustainable epoxy bio-composites reinforced with banana fibre and marine shell-derived calcium carbonate filler
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kalaignarkarunanidhi Institute of Technology, Kannampalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641402, India. [email protected]
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kalaignarkarunanidhi Institute of Technology, Kannampalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641402, India
- 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kangeyam Institute of Technology, Kangeyam, Tamil Nadu, 638108, India. [email protected]
- 4Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram Campus, Chennai, 600089, Tamil Nadu, India
- 5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr.Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600062, India
- 6Department of Mechanical Engineering, Knowledge Institute of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu, 637504, India
- 7Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Manufacturing, Institute of Technology, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia. [email protected]
Abstract
In this work, the development of sustainable banana fiber-epoxy composites reinforced with bio-waste derived calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) from marine shells of Turbinella pyrum has been investigated. The purpose was to evaluate the combined effect of natural fibre reinforcement and inorganic filler loading on mechanical, thermal and environmental performance. NaOH treated banana fibres (30 wt%) were embedded in a bisphenol-A epoxy matrix with varying content of CaCO 3 (0–20 wt%) and composites were prepared by hand lay-up followed by compression moulding. Mechanical results show that a moderate filler addition significantly improves the performance, with the composite with 10 wt% of CaCO 3 (S10) showing the highest tensile strength (55 MPa) besides better flexural strength and impact resistance. These improvements are due to the better bonding at the fibre-matrix interface and uniform filler dispersion. The hardness increased with filler content due to matrix stiffening effect. FTIR results revealed improved stability and higher char residue for filled composites. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated an increase in glass transition temperature at optimal filler loading. Water absorption test confirmed lower moisture absorption and biodegradation of S10 in comparison to control. SEM and SEM-EDX analysis showed a homogeneous filler distribution and strong interfacial interaction. The results were highly significant ( p < 0.001) as revealed by ANOVA statistical analysis and S10 was the best formulation as revealed by Tukey post-hoc grouping. Overall, the best combination of mechanical strength, thermal stability and environmental durability was obtained for 10 wt% CaCO 3 , which makes these composites suitable for lightweight sustainable applications.
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BibTeX
@article{arunkumar2026development,
title = {{Development of high-performance sustainable epoxy bio-composites reinforced with banana fibre and marine shell-derived calcium carbonate filler}},
author = {A. Arunkumar and P. Prabhu and P V Sateesh Kumar and N. Parthipan and Murugesan Venkatasudhahar and M. Sathyanathan and Dawit Tafesse},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-57564-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-57564-5},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Development of high-performance sustainable epoxy bio-composites reinforced with banana fibre and marine shell-derived calcium carbonate filler
AU - A. Arunkumar
AU - P. Prabhu
AU - P V Sateesh Kumar
AU - N. Parthipan
AU - Murugesan Venkatasudhahar
AU - M. Sathyanathan
AU - Dawit Tafesse
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/15
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-57564-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-57564-5
AB - In this work, the development of sustainable banana fiber-epoxy composites reinforced with bio-waste derived calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) from marine shells of Turbinella pyrum has been investigated. The purpose was to evaluate the combined effect of natural fibre reinforcement and inorganic filler loading on mechanical, thermal and environmental performance. NaOH treated banana fibres (30 wt%) were embedded in a bisphenol-A epoxy matrix with varying content of CaCO 3 (0–20 wt%) and composites were prepared by hand lay-up followed by compression moulding. Mechanical results show that a moderate filler addition significantly improves the performance, with the composite with 10 wt% of CaCO 3 (S10) showing the highest tensile strength (55 MPa) besides better flexural strength and impact resistance. These improvements are due to the better bonding at the fibre-matrix interface and uniform filler dispersion. The hardness increased with filler content due to matrix stiffening effect. FTIR results revealed improved stability and higher char residue for filled composites. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated an increase in glass transition temperature at optimal filler loading. Water absorption test confirmed lower moisture absorption and biodegradation of S10 in comparison to control. SEM and SEM-EDX analysis showed a homogeneous filler distribution and strong interfacial interaction. The results were highly significant ( p < 0.001) as revealed by ANOVA statistical analysis and S10 was the best formulation as revealed by Tukey post-hoc grouping. Overall, the best combination of mechanical strength, thermal stability and environmental durability was obtained for 10 wt% CaCO 3 , which makes these composites suitable for lightweight sustainable applications.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -