Considering the importance of the environment and fuel economy, the Brazilian automotive industry has focused on the development of lightweight materials based on renewable resources. Replacement of PP- talc composite by PP- saw dust composite is a promising possibility. This paper presents the preparation of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) through reactive extrusion using different amounts of peroxides and maleic anhydride as well its characterization. Using 20% of saw dust coated with different amounts of prepared MAPP, several composites were prepared including one with commercial MAPP. Injection molded samples of all these composites along with that without the compatibilizer were characterized for mechanical properties. These studies indicated fulfilling the proposed objectives: (i) finding the optimal reactive extrusion conditions to prepare MAPP samples; (ii) preparation of PP/saw dust composites with and without MAPP coating; (iii) to arrive at optimized composite to get the best performance through their characterization for various properties of all the produced composites.

Increasing search for new materials with high premium on eco-friendliness, new trend is emerging in materials development such as composites, which are well established for a wide variety of applications. With growing interest and importance of renewable bioresources has led to more stress on the use of locally available materials. This paper presents preliminary results on the preparation and characterization of composites based on Brazilian coconut fibers and starches of cassava and corn. The raw materials were characterized for their morphology, chemical composition, and thermal properties and X-ray diffraction studies. Coir fibers were also tested for their tensile properties showing increasing strength and Young's modulus with decreasing diameter, while the % elongation remaining constant. Lignin content of coir was found to be 35%. Structure and properties of composites containing 0, 5 10, 15% fibers in both the matrices and prepared by compression molding would be compared. For the 2 types of starch, there was an increase in the tensile strength by the increasing proportion of fiber. The effect of moisture in the composite stress affects the strength and percentage elongation. The water absorption was higher in the composites made from cassava starch.