Development of an Eco-friendly Bullock Yoke from Agricultural Waste Using Composite Material Technique for Sustainable Rural Application

Abstract

The transformation of agricultural waste into eco-friendly manner and reduces the effect of green house gases emission due to burning of crop residues.  The organic biomass was converted and utilized it in another form with the concept of developing agro waste composite material. Hence, the primary objective of this study was developed a lightweighted, durable and biodegradable composite materials supports sustainable production and attempt a new opportunities as alternatives method over traditional materials. These composites offer significant advantages, particularly in terms of energy savings, low cost, and minimizing environmental impact. The objective of study was developed a yoke that is lightweight, ergonomic comfort to neck, durable, and sustainable by valorising abundant agricultural residue. Wheat straw was grinded in hammer mills and used as reinforcement agent with an unsaturated epoxy resin matrix material. Different combinations of samples were prepared in the laboratory. The composite yoke was fabricated using a compression moulding technique. The samples were tested for mechanical and physical properties. The optimization was done by analysis the strength of different samples and which combination was best for superior toughness and improved stress materials was developed due to the combined effect of silica and agriculture biomass. The results demonstrated that filler type and loading significantly influence the mechanical behaviour of the composites. Among all formulations, the hybrid composite containing 10 wt% silica and 10 wt% biomass (S9) exhibited the most balanced and superior overall performance. This composition showed maximum tensile strength (25.2 N/mm²), compressive strength (79.30.00 N/mm²), and impact strength (8.23 N/mm2), representing improvements of approximately 54%, 44%, and 58%, respectively, compared to the unfilled control. This study successfully demonstrates the potential of wheat straw-based composites as a viable alternative to wood for manufacturing ergonomic and sustainable harnessing technology (animal yoke), directly contributing to manage crop residue and prevent it from burning and generate income for farmers.