Structure and performance of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate-co-L-lactate) blend reinforced with rice husk and coconut shell filler

Reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate- co-L-lactate) (PBSL) blend was prepared. Two different fillers namely coconut shell (CS) and rice husk (RH) were used as reinforcement for the PLA-PBSL blend at different filler content (0–10 wt%) and their effects on the blend was investigated. Tensile test results showed that 7.5 wt% filler is the optimum filler loading for both filler types. The comparative performance of composites prepared using the optimum filler loading was further investigated. At the same filler loading, CS performs better than RH in terms of strength, crystallization, and water absorption properties of the blends. Specifically, the tensile strength of CS reinforced blend increased by 195% compared to RH (145%). Likewise, the CS blend has a crystallinity index ( X _DSC ) of 52% compared to 45% of RH which aligns with observations from the X-ray diffraction analysis. However, thermogravimetric analysis revealed that RH reinforced blend is more thermally stable than CS reinforced blends. This study reveals that the two fillers can desirably enhance the performance of PLA/PBSL blends, especially to produce environmentally friendly products. However, CS could offer better performance over RH especially where better mechanical strength, improved crystallization and low water absorption are desired.