Green composites from maleated castor oil and jute fibres

Castor oil was converted to maleated castor oil (MACO) without any catalyst. MACO was characterized with FTIR, NMR, molecular weight and viscosity measurement. Tung oil (20 wt%) was added to MACO as reactive diluent. Non-woven jute felts were used as reinforcing material. The MACO was polymerized and crosslinked in situ during composite fabrication. The curing behavior of MACO with free radical catalyst was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The MACO/jute composites were tested for their flexural properties, impact strength and dynamic mechanical properties and compared with similar unsaturated polyester resin/jute composites. The flexural moduli of both the composites were nearly similar. The impact strength of MACO/jute composites was 42% higher than that of UPE/jute composites. The damping property of the MACO/jute composites was higher than that of UPE/jute composites over a wide range of temperature.

► Maleated castor oil (MACO)/tung oil mix was used as matrix and non-woven jute felt as reinforcement to make green composites.
► Impact strength increased by 42% compared to that of conventional unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin/jute composite.
► Damping property was enhanced.