Mechanical Behaviour of Sustainable Epoxy Hybrid Biocomposites Derived from Tea Bagasse and Banana Peel Residues

Agricultural and food-processing residues offer a renewable source of lignocellulosic reinforcement for polymer composites, but their environmental value must be considered together with functional performance. This study evaluates epoxy-based hybrid biocomposites containing tea bagasse (TB) and banana peel (BP) residues to identify compositions that balance residue utilisation with tensile, flexural and impact behaviour. Six formulations were prepared: neat epoxy and five composites containing 40 wt.% total residue with TB:BP ratios of 0:40, 10:30, 20:20, 30:10 and 40:0; the remaining 60 wt.% was epoxy resin. Residues were washed, water-soaked, sun-dried, ground and sieved before hand lay-up and ambient curing. Five replicate specimens per formulation were evaluated by tensile, three-point flexural and Charpy impact testing using the applicable ASTM procedures. Neat epoxy recorded the highest tensile (58.72 MPa) and flexural (275.53 MPa) strengths. Among residue-filled formulations, 0TB/40BP produced the highest tensile strength (16.18 MPa), whereas the balanced 20TB/20BP formulation achieved the highest flexural strength (94.53 MPa). The 10TB/30BP hybrid showed the best impact energy among the biocomposites (0.344 J), approaching the neat-epoxy value of 0.354 J. Increasing TB content generally reduced tensile and flexural performance, indicating that interfacial adhesion, particle geometry and void formation governed load transfer. The results demonstrate composition-specific rather than universal hybrid synergy. From a sustainability perspective, replacing 40 wt.% of the formulation with minimally processed residues may reduce demand for virgin resin and divert organic waste, although environmental superiority cannot be claimed without life-cycle, durability and end-of-life assessment. The 20TB/20BP and 10TB/30BP formulations are promising candidates for low-load, non-structural applications where flexural or impact performance, respectively, is prioritised.

Sustainability

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