Abstract:
Molded paper pulp packaging products are gaining popularity around the globe
as an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to plastic packaging
products. In this research, the possibility of enhancing the paper pulp material is
experimented with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) as a particulate strengthening
additive. To study the impact of SCBA as the matrix material, a total of six
samples were prepared by varying the weight fraction of ash and paper pulp as
2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 15 %, 20 %, and 25%. A compression molding method
was used to prepare cylindrical samples with a diameter of 50 mm and a height
of 55 mm. The applied compression force of 2 tonnes was maintained using a
specially designed load cell embedded platform to minimize the effect of residual
stresses generated during the sample preparation. Soon after the molding of the
wet pulp, cylindrical blocks were oven-dried at 105 0C for 48 hours of time to
remove excess moisture from the samples. Subsequently, all the samples
underwent moisture content testing by periodically measuring their weight. The
prepared samples were tested for their compressive strength using a Universal
Testing Machine (UTM). Both load and compressive stress acting on the sample
were mapped against the deflection of the sample. For the analysis, the deflection
of each sample was analysed at 9.0 KN load and the sample with 20% SCBA
showed the least strain of 0.38. Therefore, the results clearly show that the sample
which with 20% of SCBA content has the highest compressive strength compared
to other samples. Overall, most of the SCBA mixed samples show superior
compressive strength compared to the pure paper pulp-based sample.
