Effects of fiber treatment on morphology, tensile and thermogravimetric analysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches fibers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of fiber treatment on both morphological and single fiber tensile strength of empty fruit bunch (EFB). EFB fiber was treated with boiling water, 2% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and combination both NaOH and boiling water. Fiber morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was further used to measure the amount and rate of change in the weight (weight loss) of treated fiber as a function of temperature. Based on the results of this work it seems that alkali treatment improved most of the fiber properties. NaOH treatment was found to alter the characteristic of the fiber surface topography as seen by the SEM. The thermal stability of NaOH treated and water boiling treated EFB fiber was found to be significantly higher than untreated fiber. The best results were obtained for alkali treated fiber where the tensile strength and Young's modulus increased compared to untreated fibers. The overall results showed that alkali treatment on EFB fiber enhanced the tensile strength and thermal stability of the fiber samples.

Microstructural, Mechanical, and Physicochemical Behaviours of Alkali Pre-treated Oil Palm Stalk Fibres

“…Norul Izani et al (2013) reported that the tensile strength and elastic modulus of NaOH pre-treated fibres were higher than those of untreated fibres; however, these findings contradicted the results reported by Nishiyama and Okano (1998), who found that the tensile strength of the fibres decreased after alkali pre-treatment. Moreover, the exact mechanical behaviour of OPSF is still not clear; it can be either viscoelastic or viscoplastic, in which the former has been reported by Sreekala et al (2001b).…”

“…This indicates that both the waxy layer and silica bodies are less resistant to alkali pre-treatment. The absence of these surface impurities (waxy layer and silica bodies) has been claimed to improve the fibre-matrix adhesion through better bonding or interface, as reported in previous studies (Norul Izani et al 2013;Shalwan and Yousif 2014;Mahjoub et al 2014). No significant microstructural changes were observed for fibres pre-treated by 10 to 30% w/v NaOH concentrations; however, at 40% w/v NaOH concentration, the internal structure of the fibre was revealed (Figs.…”

“…The maximum elastic modulus obtained in this study for the untreated OPSF was approximately 2500 MPa. This can be compared to other findings by Sreekala et al (2001a), Jacob et al (2004), andNorul Izani et al (2013), with elastic moduli of oil palm single fibres of 1000 to 9000 MPa, 6700 MPa, and 2400 MPa, respectively. Except for with the 40% w/v NaOH concentration, minor changes in the elastic modulus were observed for samples pre-treated at various NaOH concentrations.…”

Thermal behaviour and dynamic mechanical analysis of Pennisetum purpureum/glass-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

“…The specimens were left to cure within the mould at 25 °C for 12 h. Subsequently, post curing was conducted in an oven at 80 °C for 2 h, under air circulation [13]. Finally, rectangular plates with dimensions of 300 × 300 × (3.2 ± 0.4) mm 3 were produced. The plates were then cut using a Dremel 4000 tool to produce specimens for mechanical testing, in accordance with the related standards.…”

“…This has generated increased interest in the development of natural fibre-reinforced composites [2][3][4]. Natural fibre-reinforced composites use plant-based natural fibres, such as Pennisetum purpureum, jute, hemp, flax, kenaf, and sisal [5][6][7][8].…”