Extraction of bio-fillers from natural solid wastes (citrus limetta peel) and characterization of the physical, mechanical, and tribological performance of sustainable biocomposites

The abundant accessibility of citrus limetta peels (CLP) is having great source to use as bio-fillers for developing sustainable and biodegradable composite that will replace plastic and synthetic litter. Thus, utilization of CLP solid waste as bio-filler to develop biocomposites has gained much attention for developing light-weight and economical materials. In this study, the fine CLP particles have been extracted from limetta peels and treated with NaOH and then physical characterization such as XRD, FTIR, and FESEM analysis has been done to analyze the crystalline behavior, functional group, and structural morphology. The biocomposite samples are prepared at different weight fraction of particles (0.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10%) and investigate the mechanical, structural, thermal, and tribological properties of prepared biocomposites. The results revealed that the addition of CLP particles up to 5% with bioepoxy matrix increased the tensile strength (18.37%), flexural strength (11.21%), and hardness (35.23%) compared to neat samples. CLP-5.0 composites examined greater thermal stability and degradation temperature (388 °C) with lower water absorption. The frictional wear of biocomposites has been examined by varying sliding distance at different applied load (10 N, 20 N, and 30 N) and examined that the increment in sliding distance increased the volume loss and observed maximum for CLP-10 composites at 30 N load. The fluctuating CoF and interface temperature have been examined, and the maximum is between 1000 m–1250 m at 30 N load for CLP-10.0 and CLP-0.0 composites. Finally, the addition of CLP resulted in cost saving materials with enhanced specific properties and wear resistance to replace plastic and conventional materials for various indoor and outdoor applications.