Enhancing the mechanical properties of composite films adding granite powder for sustainable packaging solutions
H. Raghavendra Rao, Din Bandhu, Mehmet Şükrü Adin, Kuldeep K. Saxena, K. Madhava Reddy, G. Suresh Kumar, P. Harishankar
Abstract
Presently, there is a growing demand to explore the utilisation of agricultural, and industrial waste and raw materials in the preparation of composites. In the present study, composite films were synthesised by adding polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to a chloroform solution at a concentration of 10 wt%, followed by stirring. The resulting mixture was carefully spread onto a petri dish to form the composite films. Furthermore, composite films were produced by introduction of different wt% of powdered granite (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) to evaluate their mechanical properties. The fabricated composite film displayed a uniform colour and exhibited a brown hue representing the homogeneous blending of powdered granite. 5.08% and 23.86% enhancement in tensile strength are observed when adding 1 wt.% to 2 wt.% of granite powder to the PVA solution compared to pure PVA, respectively. However, in the case of 3 wt.% of granite powder added in PVA showed a sharp decrease in tensile strength, causing the composite film to become brittle. Composite films incorporating granite powder demonstrated improved tensile characteristics and resistance to photodegradation, suggesting their potential suitability for packaging applications in the realms of agriculture and food products.