Converting <i>Lantana camara</i> into sustainable bioproducts

Abstract Lantana camara is noxious weed that has affected habitats across the world and is named among the top 10 most invasive species. Native to the Americas, the plant thrives under tropical conditions and has invaded forest and urban areas, affecting plant and animal life. Efforts to control the spread of L. camara have not been successful. In this study, we have converted L. camara stems into biocomposites using the stems as reinforcement and polypropylene as the matrix. Composites were prepared through compression molding at 170°C with an intention to use the biocomposites as replacement for plywood. Composites were made with varying ratios (up to 90% (w/w) L. camara stems) of the reinforcement and matrix and changes in mechanical properties, thermal and acoustic resistance and morphology were studied. Addition of 70% (w/w) stems provided highest tensile strength of 11.4 MPa and modulus of 531 MPa, considerably higher than most biocomposites containing biobased materials. Increasing ratio of the stems in the composites supressed sound absorption at varying frequencies and also decreased thermal conductivity to different extents depending on the amount of L. camara in the composites. Properties of the L. camara composites obtained in this research are suitable for civil (false roofing), automotive (interior panels, headliners) and other applications including replacement of plywood based products, packaging materials etc. Lantana stems offer an inexpensive, sustainable resource for biocomposites and at the same time could be a prudent approach to manage the obnoxious weed.