Effect of Natural Pahae Zeolite Addition on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Areca Nut Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composite Boards
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32734/jotp.v8i2.25455Keywords:
Areca nut fiber, Composite board, Mechanical properties, Natural Pahae Zeolite, Polyester resinAbstract
This study investigates the effect of natural Pahae zeolite as a locally sourced mineral filler on the mechanical and physical properties of areca nut fiber–polyester composite boards. The novelty lies in combining natural Pahae zeolite with areca nut fiber to integrate organic fiber reinforcement and inorganic mineral filling. Composite boards were fabricated using polyester resin, areca nut fiber, and natural Pahae zeolite ratios of 60:40:0, 60:30:10, 60:20:20, 60:10:30, and 60:0:40 by hot pressing. The optimum composition was 60:10:30, yielding the highest Modulus of Rupture (MoR) of 177.3 MPa, Modulus of Elasticity (MoE) of 875.08 MPa, and compressive strength of 212.66 MPa. Increasing zeolite content also affected density and moisture content, while excessive zeolite addition (40 wt%) reduced mechanical performance, potentially due to particle agglomeration and increased brittleness. SEM–EDX analysis revealed morphological changes and increased Si and Al contributions with increasing zeolite content. All MoR values exceeded the minimum requirements of SNI 03-2105-2006 and JIS A 5908:2003, whereas the MoE values did not meet the applicable requirements. These findings demonstrate the potential of natural Pahae zeolite as a locally sourced mineral filler for natural fiber–polyester composites and its role in improving flexural performance at an appropriate composition.
Downloads
References
[1] P. K. Mallick, Fiber-Reinforced Composites: Materials, Manufacturing, and Design, 3rd ed., CRC Press, 2007, doi: 10.1201/9781420005981.
[2] W. D. Callister Jr. and D. G. Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 10th ed., Wiley, 2018.
[3] K. L. Pickering, M. G. A. Efendy, and T. M. Le, “A review of recent developments in natural fibre composites and their mechanical performance,” Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 83, pp. 98–112, 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2015.08.038.
[4] M. Jawaid and H. P. S. A. Khalil, “Cellulosic/synthetic fibre reinforced polymer hybrid composites: A review,” Carbohydr. Polym., vol. 86, no. 1, pp. 1–18, 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2011.04.043.
[5] O. Faruk, A. K. Bledzki, H. -P. Fink, and M. Sain, “Biocomposites reinforced with natural fibers: 2000–2010,” Prog. Polym. Sci., vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 1552–1596, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2012.04.003.
[6] M. R. Sanjay, P. Madhu, M. Jawaid, P. Senthamaraikannan, S. Senthil, and S. Pradeep, “Characterization and properties of natural fiber polymer composites: A comprehensive review,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 172, pp. 566–581, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.101.
[7] G. Sunny and T. P. Rajan, “Review on Areca nut fiber and its implementation in sustainable products development,” J. Nat. Fibers, vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 4747–4760, 2022, doi: 10.1080/15440478.2020.1870623.
[8] K. G. Satyanarayana, K. Sukumaran, P. S. Mukherjee, C. Pavithran, and S. G. K. Pillai, “Natural fibre-polymer composites,” Cem. Concr. Compos., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 117–136, 1990, doi: 10.1016/0958-9465(90)90049-4.
[9] T. M. Loganathan et al., “Physical, thermal and mechanical properties of Areca fibre reinforced polymer composites — an overview,” J. Bionic Eng., vol. 17, pp. 185–205, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s42235-020-0015-6.
[10] M. Nissar, Chethan K. N., Y. A. Birjerane, S. Patil, S. Shetty, and A. Das, “Coconut coir fiber composites for sustainable architecture: a comprehensive review of properties, processing, and applications,” J. Compos. Sci., vol. 9, no. 10, p. 516, 2025, doi: 10.3390/jcs9100516.
[11] H. Xu, J. Li, Y. She, H. Wang, and X. Xu, “The unique flexibility feature of moso bamboo: Arising implications for biomimetic material design,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 411, p. 134568, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.134568.
[12] M. Mahardika et al., “Recent developments in oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber composite,” J. Nat. Fibers, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 2309915, 2024, doi: 10.1080/15440478.2024.2309915.
[13] H. S. Kusuma, D. Permatasari, W. K. Umar, and S. K. Sharma, “Sugarcane bagasse as an environmentally friendly composite material to face the sustainable development era,” Biomass Conv. Bioref., vol. 14, pp. 26693–26706, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s13399-023-03764-2.
[14] P. K. Balguri et al., “Characterization of vinyl silane–treated areca nut woven fiber and bronze filler toughened polyester composite,” Biomass Conv. Bioref., vol. 15, pp. 14429–14439, 2025, doi: 10.1007/s13399-024-06088-x.
[15] G. K. Mamytbekov, D. A. Zheltov, O. S. Milts, and Y. R. Nurtazin, “Polymer–zeolite composites: synthesis, characterization and application,” Colloids Interfaces, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 8, 2024, doi: 10.3390/colloids8010008.
[16] Y. A. Sihombing, “Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of electrospun cellulose acetate fiber membranes incorporating pahae natural zeolite,” Rasayan J. Chem., vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 933–938, 2024, doi: 10.31788/RJC.2024.1738877.
[17] Susilawati, Y. A. Sihombing, S. U. Rahayu, L. Waldiansyah, and Y. Y. B. Sembiring, “The effectiveness of pahae natural zeolite−cocoa shell activated charcoal nanofilter as a water adsorber in bioethanol purification,” ACS Omega, vol. 7, pp. 38417–38425, 2022, doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c03614.
[18] Y. A. Sihombing, Susilawati, S. U. Rahayu, and M. D. Situmeang, “Effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in chitosan/Pahae natural zeolite-based polymer electrolyte membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications,” Mater. Sci. Energy Technol., vol. 6, pp. 252–259, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.mset.2023.01.002.
[19] Susilawati, Y. A. Sihombing, S. U. Rahayu, Y. Y. B. Sembiring, L. Waldiansyah, and M. Irma, “Filter material based on zeolite-activated charcoal from cocoa shells as ammonium adsorbent in greywater treatment,” S. Afr. J. Chem. Eng., vol. 43, pp. 266–272, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.sajce.2022.11.006.
[20] F. A. Mumpton, “La roca magica: Uses of natural zeolites in agriculture and industry,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 96, no. 7, pp. 3463–3470, 1999, doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.7.3463.
[21] H. Nurdin, Hasanuddin, Waskito, and A, Kurniawan, “Particle board made from Areca fiber with tapioca adhesive,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., vol. 1594, p. 012031, 2020, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/1594/1/012031.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Technomaterial Physics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
