COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN SUGARCANE BAGASSE-REINFORCED COMPOSITES PRODUCED FROM COMMERCIAL EPOXIDIZED SOYBEAN OIL AND SOYBEAN OIL FROM FRYING

Abstract

Commercial epoxy is produced from petroleum derivatives and is widely used as a matrix in the production of composites due to its simple processing. Epoxidized soybean oil makes it possible to produce a more sustainable matrix. With a view to sustainability, the present work aims to produce composite materials produced from commercial epoxidized soybean oil and epoxidized residual frying soybean oil. The characterization of the epoxidized oils was carried out by determining the oxirane oxygen content (OOe), infrared spectroscopy by Fourier transform and tensile test. As epoxidized soybean oils are less resistant to tensile than commercial epoxy derived from petroleum, it is necessary to add fibers to improve the mechanical characteristics of the material. Natural sugarcane bagasse fibers were chosen as reinforcement material. The materials were produced with the two types of epoxidized soybean oil, the mechanical evaluation was carried out by means of tensile tests with the addition of 0%, 5% and 7% fibers. The tensile strength limit was significantly improved for both materials, mainly with the addition of 5% reinforcement in commercial epoxidized soybean oil, reaching 133% higher than the resin without reinforcement. As for the oxirane oxygen content, the epoxy of residual oil presented a percentage of 4.55% m/m and the commercial 6.53% m/m, the residual oil presents a lower number of unsaturations, therefore lower content of OOe.