Development of Egg Shell Powder Solution as Ecofriendly Reagent: for Chemical Treatment of Natural Fibers for Polymer Composites Production

Problem associated with natural fibres have to be overcome before using them in composites reinforcement. The most serious concerned with natural fibres is its hydrophilic nature. Also most of the reagent’s used for the treatment of natural fibers are: expensive, hazardous and reduce the strength of the fibers after treatment. The development of ecofriendly reagent for the treatment of natural fibers using eggshell powder solution is the thrust of this present investigation. The natural fiber used in this work is banana peduncle fibers. The fibers were pretreated with (NaOH) and treated with eggshell (ES) powder solution. The microstructure, tensile strength and water absorption were determined. Maximum strength of the pretreated fiber (99.844N/mm²) was achieved at concentration of 0.25M NaOH for 1hr. ES treatment drastically reduced water absorption to 2.6% which is an improvement of 91.6% when compared to that of the raw fiber (35.83%) and was not harsh and hazardous. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is recommended that ES treatment at 20%ES in H₂O can be used to treat naturals fibers for composites production.