Fabrication and processing of biochar basalt epoxy composites

Abstract

ABSTRACT The impact of rice husk biochar on basalt fiber reinforced epoxy composites under mechanical, thermal, and hygrothermal aging conditions is examined in this work. The hand lay-up method was used to create composites with 0–7 weight percent biochar. Mechanical characterization found that the composite containing 5 wt.% biochar (E3) had the best overall performance, obtaining the highest tensile and flexural strengths, while the 2 wt.% biochar composite (E2) showed the largest impact strength. At a modest biochar level, FESEM-EDS analysis showed better fiber-matrix interfacial bonding and filler dispersion. Stronger structural interaction and improved carbonaceous structural ordering within the composite system were demonstrated by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The E3 composite has better thermomechanical stability and a greater glass transition temperature, according to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). For E3, accelerated seawater aging at 60°C for 175 days showed more than 80% tensile strength retention. Based on Arrhenius extrapolation, this translates to an estimated equivalent service duration of roughly 1752 days under marine operating conditions. These results verify that the created composite is a promising sustainable material for maritime and structural engineering applications since 5 weight percent biochar offers the best balance of mechanical performance, interfacial bonding, thermal stability, and durability.