The Effect of Alkalization Fiber on Mechanical, Microstructure, and Thermal Properties of Sugarcane Bagasse Fiber Reinforced PLA Biocomposite

Biocomposites are one of the environmentally friendly materials as a substitute for synthetic plastics used for various applications in the automotive, household appliances industry, and interiors. In this study, biocomposites from Polylactic Acid (PLA) and sugarcane bagasse fibers (SBF) were made using the 3D Printing method. The effect of alkalization with NaOH of 0 (untreated), 4%, 6%, and 8% of the fibers were studied. The SBF in PLA was kept at 2% v/v from the total biocomposite. The characterization of all biocomposite tested using tensile, flexural, impact, scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The tensile test results showed that the 6% NaOH concentration on the fibers had the highest tensile strength of 34.59 MPa compared to pure PLA. The flexural and impact strengths of the biocomposite samples in the treatment also showed the highest results of 45.62 MPa and 45.03 kJ/m2, respectively. SEM imaging also confirmed the presence of good bonding between the matrix and fibers. The thermal stability of biocomposite showed an increase in the degradation point after alkalization. There was a change in the chemical functional group in the biocomposite with fibers treated by 6% NaOH at a wavenumber of 1150–1030 cm−1. These results indicate that PLA biocomposites have competitive properties for application in various industrial sectors.