Fabrication of Jute Latex Laminated Composite for Packaging Material

This study examined the multidirectional mechanical, wetting, and thermal performance of jute latex laminated composite (JLLC) developed for cereal material. Woven jute fabric was laminated with natural rubber (NR) latex at four different loadings (1 to 4 g/100 mL toluene), while unlaminated jute fabric was used as the control. The bursting strength, bursting time, wetting time, and thermal resistance of the developed composites were evaluated. All laminated samples exhibited higher bursting strength than the control fabric, with JLLC1 showing the highest value of 11.10 kg/cm², representing a 35.9% improvement over the control. Bursting time increased from 22.65 s for the control to 25.29 s for JLLC4. The latex layer substantially improved water resistance; while the control fabric wetted from the bottom side within 2.15 s, all JLLC samples remained unwetted for the 120 s observation period. Thermal resistance also increased from 0.02374 to 0.05833 m² K/W, with JLLC4 showing the highest value. Overall, NR latex lamination effectively enhanced the functional performance of jute fabric, demonstrating its potential for moisture-resistant and thermally resistant packaging materials.