Description
Abstract: This work reports on the strength characteristics of Styrofoam and Gum Arabic in biodegradable materials for lagging purposes. The materials studied were sugarcane bagasse, coir, and kapok mixed with clay in different size grading of constituents. The sugarcane bagasse and coir were sun dried for 7 days, grinded using a blender and sieved to obtain 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 mm sieve sizes. The clay was sun dried for 24 hours, grinded using laboratory pestle and mortar, and also sieved to obtain sieve size of 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 mm. The kapok was obtained from kapok tree, separated from it pod by hand picking. The tensile strength of the samples were investigated using universal testing machine (Testometric FS 50AT). The results show that, the biodegradable composite with 0.25 mm size prepared with Styrofoam had UTS and MOE of 8.2% and 68% respectively higher than that prepared with gum Arabic.
Authors: Abdulkareem Sulaiman, Mustapha Ndagi, Abdulrahim Abdulbaqi Toyin, and Ajiboye Tajudeen Kolawole
Keywords: biodegradable, composite, lagging, modulus of elasticity, ultimate tensile strength