Valorization of tilapia scales fish in ecological composites: Optimization of mechanical properties

This study looks at how adding natural materials, specifically Tilapia fish scales, can make polymers stronger. We chose Tilapia scales because they have a hard structure and strong mechanical properties. The objective of this paper is to understand how the percentage of fish scales changes the mechanical properties (tensile strength, compressive strength and flexural strength). To evaluate how the Tilapia scales affects the mechanical behavior of the material, we have prepared the samples with different percentages of scales (0% to 40%). The results showed that, the Tilapia scales makes the material stronger. 30% of Tilapia scales performed the best results, with tensile strength increasing by 25% compared to samples without any scales. However, when we added more than 30%, the strength began to decrease. For flexural strength, samples containing between 20% and 30% of fish scales showed a good balance between stiffness and flexibility. This experimental investigation looking into the use of biomaterials in industry that need materials to be durable, strong, and light weight.