Page 34 - Template Tesis UTM v2.0

1.5 Significance of Study

This study is very significant as it explores the development of hybrid

composite materials using plants and minerals based natural resources to discover the

potential usage of embedding natural resources in creating composite materials
polymer cellulosic. In addition, the excessive use of petroleum products nowadays has

led to the depletion of petroleum resources and entrapment of non-disposable materials

in the environment, which indirectly caused pollution. To overcome this problem, a
probable reasonable remedy is the combination of petroleum and bio-based materials

to develop a marketable, usable and saleable products which can fit many applications,
since the use of pure bio-based materials as petroleum replacement is not the ultimate

solution yet [13].

Currently, the usage of natural fibre hybrid composites has gained wide

attention since the materials’ properties can be tailor-made based on the specific intend
of the product design and application. For instance, in the motorsport industry, there

is a need for the front and rear impact structures to act as load-bearing members and

energy absorption devices, and natural fibres are potentially to replace synthetic fibres
for future environmentally friendly energy absorption structures [5]. To some extents,

the emergence of natural fibres in composite laminates will compensate the lack

characteristics of synthetic fibres. For instance, the hybridisation of basalt/glass
reinforced epoxy exhibited a better energy absorption capability compared to single

fibre glass reinforced epoxy to resist low velocity impact test [15]. In addition, the
usage of bio-degradability of natural fibre aligns with environmental concerns towards

green technology development [12], as well as to make use of natural resources
availability.

7