Research Information System
12. International European Congress on Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Tirane, Albania, 16 - 18 May 2025, pp.360-369, (Full Text)
Nowadays, biomaterials that can be recycled at an affordable cost are biodegradable, and obtained from renewable resources are increasingly being used. The importance of bio-composites has been further understood as composite materials produced from raw materials that do not decompose in nature at the end of their life cycle, i.e., are not renewable, causing a critical environmental problem. In this study, bioresin was created by adding pine turpentine oil to the epoxy resin from thermosets, and this bioresin was reinforced with jute, cotton, and hemp fabric from natural fibers. The content of hemp fabric is 70% hemp/30% cotton. Jute and cotton fabrics are selected from natural woven fabrics. Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding and open molding methods were used as the production method. Samples using sand were produced using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding, while samples not using fabric were produced using the open mold method. In order to create bioresin, pine turpentine oil was added to the epoxy resin at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by weight. Pine turpentine oil was added to the epoxy by mixing with a magnetic stirrer without any chemical treatment. Samples produced using only epoxy resin were also produced as reference samples. Samples were produced for testing both without fabric, with only bioresin mixtures, and with three natural fiber fabrics, for a total of 24 pieces. The 24 samples produced were subjected to water testing to test their water absorption amounts. In the samples where regular weight measurements were made for a period of 2 weeks, the bioresin samples consisting of only epoxy and pine turpentine oil mixtures without fabric showed water absorption in the range of 0.42%-0.65%. The samples produced only with epoxy showed a water absorption of 6.19%. It was determined that the samples with 30% pine turpentine oil added were the ones with the least water absorption. While an increase in water absorption was observed as the oil ratio went from 0% to 20%, a decrease was achieved at 30% oil ratio, and the amount of water absorption tended to increase again at 40% and 50% oil ratios. It is anticipated that biocomposite samples produced with 30% pine turpentine oil can be used in the automotive, construction, and aviation sectors where low water and moisture absorption is desired.