Evaluation of the environmental aging and mechanical properties of the polypropylene/sugarcane bagasse composites

Polypropylene (PP) reinforced with fibers from sugarcane bagasse composites in different proportions were prepared. Also environmental aging was conducted for the composites and their mechanical properties determined. The results showed that chemical treatment caused changes in color and chemical composition of the fibers, removing impurities and amorphous constituents such as lignin and hemicellulose, techniques of FTIR, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy confirmed these data. Also, it was observed that addition of natural fiber in PP matrix provided an improvement in the mechanical properties materials. The weathering test revealed a slight mass gain after 75 days, but it was clear that the inclusion of fibers has a higher mass gain compared to pure PP. (author)