

To fight with global farming, dwindling fossil fuels and waste management issues in agricultural countries; effort has been made to develop fully biodegradable hybrid composite rod from fibers of banana leaf waste and sisal fiber reinforced in polylactic acid (matrix) at a different fiber fraction v/v (0%, 10% (5:5 i.e. B:S), 20%(10:10), 30% (15:15) and 40%(20:20). Rods were made as per ASTM standard (ASTM D7205) by using single screw extruder. The mechanical properties namely: tensile, compression, flexural, bending and impact testing with reference to ASTM standards (ASTM D6641, ASTM D4476 and ASTM D-256 respectively) were evaluated. Results show that pure PLA rod has a maximum tensile strength of 15.82 MPa, compression 33.48 MPa, flexural strength of 13.64 MPa and impact strength 1.98 kJ/m2. In the case of maximum successful reinforcement (40% by volume), where 20% is banana and 20% is sisal fiber, maximum tensile strength comes out to be 41.32 MPa, compression 77.81 MPa, flexural strength 32.52 MPa and impact strength 4.27 kJ/m2. Thermal analysis (Differential scanning calorimetry) was also done that shows increase of melting temperature by 14°C-17°C in 40% fiber reinforcement compared to the pure PLA composite. These rods can be successfully utilized in furniture, construction and sports industry.