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Abstract
Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) is a widely cultivated plant in Nigeria which generates
lots of residues (such as its peels) during its consumption. This study investigated
the tensile, microstructural and moisture absorption properties of plantain peel reinforced
polystyrene composites. The filler composition was varied between 0 wt% and 40 wt%
and all analyses were done as per ASTM standards. The force at break and Young's modulus
increased with increasing filler content and had maximum values of 405 N and 380 MPa
respectively. The elongation at break point of plantain peel powder reinforced bio-composite
reduced with increase in filler content, indicating that the biomass fillers led to
a reduction in the deformability of the composites due to a poor transfer of stress
at the weak fiber-plastic interphase. It was furthermore observed that composites
with higher filler content were more susceptible to moisture diffusivity due to the
hydrophilic nature of the filler powder. Microstructural analysis revealed that a
more uniform distribution of the plantain fiber occurs at 40% fiber content compared
to those of higher filler content.