Project title: Bio-Coat for Reinforced Earth Material
Researchers: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fauziah Ahmad, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Khalil Shawkataly, Ahmad Halmi Ghazalli, Dziauddin Zainol Abidin, Azhar Mohamad Noor
In this project, oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) mat fibres were impregnated with Acrylonitrile Butadienne Styrene (ABS). The resulting material also popularly known as "Bio-Coat" were then used as reinforced material for geotechnical applications such as reinforced earth wall, slope protection and other geotechnical soil improvement techniques.
Just like the oil palm, the Bio-Coat has many uses in engineering and construction including that of (1)Reinforcement, (2)Drainage, (3)Filtration, (4)Separator and (5)Barrier.
It can also be used in household applications such as; reinforced plants, garden drainage, unpaved road on soft ground, flower pot, garden mat and other landscaping applications. It was found that, the Load-Strain for the Bio-Coat material increased more than 100% compared to commercial geotextiles and geosynthetics material. The Bio-Coat will be a welcome alternative to the construction, geotechnical and landscaping industries. It not only makes good use of material that would have otherwise been discarded as waste, the Bio-Coat strengthens and improves the soil while remaining highly cost effective.
Contact details of the lead researcher is available to registered journalists from the link below
For more information, please email [email protected]
