Effect of chemical treatment on mechanical properties and water resistance of wheat straw epoxy biocomposites

Biocomposites are becoming popular options for various industrial applications because they are lightweight, renewable, eco-friendly, economical, and sustainable. In this research article, synthetic epoxy resin has been used as a polymer matrix and residual wheat straw has been used as fillers to fabricate a range of biocomposites. The wheat straw fillers were chemically treated to increase adhesion between the fibre surface and the polymer matrix, resulting in improved mechanical properties. Two different loading levels of fillers were taken in the study and they were subjected to either alkali treatment or a combination of silane and alkali treatment. These biocomposites were investigated for water resistance, flexural strength, and flexural modulus. For higher water resistance and flexural qualities, a twofold treatment of wheat straw fillers was found to be more effective than a single treatment.