Abstract
Natural fiber copolymers were prepared by grafting hydrophobic monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA), onto chemically modified pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) using a complex initiating system: Cu (II) SO4 / histidine / ammonium persulfate (APS) in an aqueous medium. The overall activation energy (Ea) of grafting was computed to be 21.8 kJ mol−1. The PALF–g–PMMA copolymers so obtained were characterized by FT-IR, their thermal behaviour by TGA and their morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their tensile strength, elongation and tenacity were measured. The extent of water absorption by the grafted PALF showed that grafting of MMA imparts hydrophobicity onto PALFs. The biodegradation of the copolymers was evaluated in sludge water and soil and by using cultured microorganisms.