Use of Pennisetum glaucum stem powder waste as reinforcement in epoxy composites

Abstract The physicochemical, thermal, and tensile characteristics of Pennisetum glaucum stem powder (PGSP) are described in this article. According to chemical analysis, PGSP contains a larger percentage of cellulose (58.43 wt%) and lower percentages of hemicelluloses (12.86 wt%) and lignin (14.34 wt%). PGSP has a crystallinity index of 56.8%, with a crystallite size of 22.37 nm. A scanning electron microscopy and an atomic force microscopy were used to analyze the external morphology of PGSP. The thermogravimetric analysis of the PGSP exhibited a thermal constancy of 230°C and kinetic activation energy of 88.3 kJ/mol, indicating that it might be used as a filler material in thermoplastic resins with processing temperatures up to 230°C. Mechanical testing of PGSP‐reinforced epoxy composites signified that 9 wt% reinforcement is optimal to achieve improved properties. All the above findings of this investigation proved that PGSP can be used as a suitable primary and a secondary filler in polymer matrixes and it can also be used to make fused deposition modeling filaments for 3D printing.