Biocomposites from Poly Hydroxybutyrate and Bamboo Microfibrils

There is a growing demand to develop and commercialize bio-based composite materials, which can reduce the widespread dependence on petroleum and at the same time enhance the environment and economy. Biodegradable biocomposites or "Green Composites" consist of biodegradable plastic as the matrix polymer and biofiber/natural fiber as the reinforcing element.This monograph discuss in detai about the extraction of microfibrils from raw bamboo and the development of completely biodegradable, eco-friendly biocomposites from bamboo microfibrils and Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).The physico mechanical properties of the resulting composites were measured in addition to their thermal properties. The properties of the composites were found to increase with increase in the bamboo microfibril content and reached an optimum and thereafter decreased with further increase in microfibril loading. The composite could be developed further for various structural applications.