Abstract:
The annual coconut yield in Sri Lanka is estimated as 2450 million nuts. Coconut husk
fibers possess specific features such as higher lignin, lower cellulose, and hemicelluloses
which leads to properties like resilience, strength, damping, resistance to attrition, and
high elongation at break. Approximately 280 tons of paper wastes are collected per day in
Sri Lanka. The objectives of this research were to add value to the coconut husk by
introducing the hardboard to fabricate low-cost hardboard with high strength, and thereby
to introduce a solution for paper waste accumulation in Sri Lanka. The hardboard
briquette has been fabricated using coconut husk fibers, paper pulp, starch, and pure
epoxy-based adhesive. The short length (around 1 cm) coconut husk fibers and paper pulp
were mixed with pure epoxy-based adhesive and starch as binding materials and next
compressed under 6894 N m-2 of pressure in a die and sun-dried for five days. The
composites have a ratio of 3:1, 5:3, 1:1, 3:5 and 3:1 between paper pulp, coconut husk
fibers showed the tensile strengths of 1518879 N m-2
, 1190175 N m-2
, 2340818 N m-2
,
1431441 N m-2
, and 2407740 N m-2
and compressive strengths of 12652940 N m-2
,
3438566 N m-2
, 6132221 N m-2
, 2099790 N m-2
, and 19100570 N m-2
respectively. The
stiffness and the strength of composite material are increased by fibers. Lignin provides
strength to the coconut husk fiber and it is degradable at only a few microorganisms and
strong chemicals. The sample that contained the greatest amount of fiber mass showed the
highest tensile strength and compressive strength. Therefore, the fabricated hardboard
briquette is capable to bear higher loads and it can be utilized in furniture and packing
industries.
Keywords: Coconut husk fibers, Hardboard briquette, Waste papers
