Investigation on physico-mechanical properties, water, thermal and chemical ageing of unsaturated polyester/turmeric spent composites

Nutraceutical industrial residues are potential fillers to fabricate green or eco-friendly polymeric composite materials as they are, less costly and easily available. Attempts have been made to use turmeric spent (TS)-a nutraceutical industry waste with a high E-factor to improve need-based properties of plastics. A series of unsaturated polyester resin composites have been fabricated with different turmeric spent content viz., 5, 10, 15 and 20% w/w. The effect of amount of filler content on tensile strength, physical properties including density and surface hardness and chemical resistance of the composites were determined. The influence of water and thermal ageing on the tensile strength of turmeric filler loaded unsaturated polyester composites has been studied.