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Investigation on Biodegradability of Sustainable Polypropylene/Agro
Waste Rice Husk/Titanium Dioxide Composites
Nur ‘Afifah Binti Mahyudin
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof Dr Mohamad Bin Awang
Bachelor of Technology (Environment)
School of Ocean Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
This research investigates the performance of polypropylene/agro waste rice
husk/titanium dioxide (TiO2) composites in term of the effects of biodegradability on
their mechanical property, thermal stability and morphology. An internal mixer and an
injection molding machine were used to mix and mold composite samples. Soil burial
test, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an
Instron machine were used to investigate composite properties. The findings showed
that the highest tensile strength of the composites was 44 MPa with the addition of
TiO2. The thermal stability of composites decreased as the content of rice husk
increased. Morphology observation showed good interaction within PP/RH with
addition of highest TiO2. Biodegradability of composites slightly increased with an
increase in natural fibers content. In conclusion, the interaction between three
elements exhibited good results in term of biodegradability, mechanical properties,
and thermal stability with also their advantages to be able to resist the environmental
degradation.
64 | U M T U N D E R G R A D U A T E R E S E A R C H D A Y 2019