Physical Properties of Agro-Flour Filled Aliphatic Thermoplastic Polyester Bio-Composites

The purpose of this study was to investigate the water absorption and thickness swelling of biocomposites at room temperature. These properties of bio-composites mainly depend on the ability of the agro-flour to absorb water through hydrogen bonding between water and the hydroxyl groups of the holocellulose and lignin in the cell wall. As the content of agro-flour increased, the water absorption and thickness swelling of the bio-composites increased. The effects of agro-flour content and rice husk flour (RHF) particle size on the water absorption and thickness swelling of the bio-composites were evaluated. In general, wood-based materials showed significantly higher water absorption and thickness swelling than the bio-composites. This might be attributed to the ability of the polybutylene succinate (PBS) hydrophobic polymer to prohibit the water absorption and thickness swelling of the bio-composites, Therefore, the use of agro-flour filled PBS bio-composites, which exhibit improved dimensional stability in comparison with wood-based materials, is recommended.