Effect of Corn Cob Particulate on the Mechanical and Biodegradability Properties of Reinforced Polyester Composites

Abstract

The corn cobs for this work were sourced from farmland after threshing of maize and were prepared for chemical treatment. Both treated and untreated corn cobs were then pulverized and sieved to obtain 150 and 300 µm particle sizes respectively. The composites were developed by dispersing the particulates in unsaturated polyester resin followed by proper stirring and then poured into the mould. The developed composites were allowed to cure before they are stripped from the mould and allowed to further cured for 30 days after which mechanical and biodegradability tests were carried out on the samples. It was observed from the results that both treated and untreated particulate corn cobs improved the mechanical and biodegradability properties of the developed composites while 150 µm was the most suitable particle size for flexural properties and 300 µm was the most suitable for biodegradability property.