TKKS merupakan limbah perkebunan kelapa sawit dengan kandungan serat selulosa yang dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan penyusun komposit. Komposit serat alami dengan matriks epoksi dikenal memiliki resistansi kimia yang baik. Penambahan carbon nanotube pada komposit diketahui melalui banyak penelitian dapat meningkatkan sifat mekanik. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan penambahan carbon nanotube pada komposit serat TKKS dengan matriks epoksi sebanyak 0,1%, 0,5%, dan 1% dari berat matriks yang digunakan. Serat TKKS didapatkan dengan metode chemical retting. Untuk meningkatkan kompabilitas, fungsionalisasi dan perlakuan carbon nanotube dan serat TKKS dilakukan dengan metode mild acid oxidation dan silane coupling agent dan terbukti tidak merusak struktur dan ukuran carbon nanotube. Penambahan carbon nanotube meningkatkan kekuatan tarik komposit serat TKKS dengan matriks epoksi sebesar 10,03%, 4,75%, dan 7,75% dan kekuatan tekuk sebesar 51,64%, 65,8%, dan 105,9% masing-masing untuk penambahan carbon nanotube sebanyak 0,1%, 0,5%, dan 1% dari berat matriks yang digunakan.

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Empty palm oil fruit bunch fiber is the side product of palm oil cultivication that contain cellulose fiber. This kind of fiber is usually used as composite reinforcement. Natural fiber reinforced composite with epoxy matrices well known of its chemical stability. Addition of carbon nanotube also known to strengthen epoxy based composites. In this research, carbon nanotube is added as much as 0,1%, 0,5%, and 1% wt in matrices. The empty palm oil fruit bunch fiber is prepared by chemical retting process.

Functionalization and surface treatment of carbon nanotube and natural fiber with mild acid method and silane coupling agent are performed in order to increase the compatibility. It was proved by FE-SEM that no damage was occurred to the carbon nanotube. The addition of carbon nanotube has increased the tensile strength as much as 10.03%, 4.75%, and 7.75% and flexural strength as much as 51.64%, 65.8%, dan 105.9% each for addition of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% weight carbon nanotube.