Effect of Alkali-modified Kenaf Fiber Incorporation on the Biodegradability and Hydrolytic Degradability of Used Polyethylene Material

Polyethylene (PE)-based plastic wastes are non-biodegradable and tend to persistently disturb and destroy the environment. The novel approach in this research is incorporation of alkali-modified kenaf fiber into the used PE material aiming at improving its biodegradability and hydrolytic degradation. The alkaline modification of the kenaf fiber was achieved using 5wt. % sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution as revealed by chemical composition analysis and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy of the alkali-treated fiber. Melt-blending approach was employed to fabricate composites using both treated and un-treated kenaf fibers together with the used low density PE, in the form of table water sachets, at various fiber-to-PE loading formulations. Characterizations of these composites were conducted for their biodegradability using Sandy soil. Additional characterizations conducted included hydrolytic degradation and thermogravimetric analysis respectively. In the results obtained for biodegradation and hydrolytic degradation, the alkali treated kenaf fiber-PE composites revealed a more promising performance than its corresponding un-treated kenaf fiber-PE composites. The higher the kenaf fiber the higher the biodegradation and hydrolytic degradation respectively. These composites also showed higher hydrolytic degradation as well as higher thermal stability in comparison to their corresponding un-treated kenaf fiber-PE composites. The findings on Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that alkali-modified kenaf fiber incorporated PE composites showed a more statistically significant results for biodegradation and hydrolytic degradation particularly between 60 to 90 days retention periods.