Abstract: “Employing fibers particularly those from renewable materials as an alternative to inorganic fibers in composites is part of the effort to promote bio-based products as well as to broaden recycling of solid wastes. In this work, the use of agro waste Alpinia galanga (AG) as composite reinforcement was investigated in terms of tensile properties, thermal stability, morphology and water absorption. Composites based on AG fibers and high density polyethylene (HDPE) were prepared together with an additive, eco-degradant (ECO) and a compatibilizer, polyethylene-g-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) in a mixer, Brabender Plastograph EC at various AG fiber loadings. The results reveal that the composite formulation enabled AG fibers to function as reinforcement in HDPE-based composites. The presence of ECO at 15 wt% fiber loading improved tensile strength up to 33.6 MPa, about 21 % higher than that of pristine HDPE (27.8 MPa). The addition of MA-g-PE at 10 wt% fiber loading also indicates comparable te”

Keywords: Agro waste, Alpinia galanga, composites, ecodegradant, properties