Investigation on mechanical-thermal properties of green composite produced from polylactic acid and bagasse pulp fibers

In this research, green composites were produced from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and natural fibers by using twin-screw extrusion followed by compression molding process. Different bagasse pulp fibers including monoethanolamine (MEA), alkaline sulfite-anthraquinone (AS), bleached soda (BS), unbleached soda (UNS) and raw bagasse fibers (B) were prepared and compounded with polylactic acid. Thermo-mechanical properties, crystallization behavior and morphology of PLA and its composites were investigated. The results indicated that the tensile modulus of composites was increased compared to the neat PLA. While the addition of B, UNS, BS fibers caused a dramatically drop in tensile strength. In addition, the results showed that the crystallinity and dynamic mechanical properties of PLA were substantially improved by incorporation with natural fibers. However, depending on the pulping type, different improvements of the composite parameters were attained. It was found that MEA and AS fibers were more compatible with the PLA.