Exploring the potential of waste leaf sheath date palm fibres for composite reinforcement through a structural and mechanical analysis

Bourmaud, Alain; Dhakal, Hom Nath; Habrant, Anouck; Padovani, Justine; Siniscalco, David; Ramage, Michael; Beaugrand, Johnny; Shah, Darshil U.

doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2017.10.017

Cited by 60 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Similar features were also observed in other palm trees, such as piassava palm fibers [20], date palm fibers [21], and sugar palm fibers [22]. The main function of these silica bodies is to protect the external surface of the fiber from pathogenic fungi and insects, but the presence of the silica may interfere with pulping and papermaking [21]. However, the silica bodies do not stick firmly onto the fiber and can be removed mechanically, leaving empty craters that may facilitate mechanical interlocking of the fiber and matrix due to the rougher surface [2].…”

Section: Fiber Morphologysupporting

confidence: 81%

“…3d) which had been confirmed through energy dispersive X-rays spectrometry (EDS) [19]. Similar features were also observed in other palm trees, such as piassava palm fibers [20], date palm fibers [21], and sugar palm fibers [22]. The main function of these silica bodies is to protect the external surface of the fiber from pathogenic fungi and insects, but the presence of the silica may interfere with pulping and papermaking [21].…”

Section: Fiber Morphologysupporting

confidence: 65%

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Structural, chemical, and multi-scale mechanical characterization of waste windmill palm fiber (Trachycarpus fortunei)

Zhang

Zhu

et al. 2020

J Wood Sci

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This study investigated the structural, chemical, and multi-scale mechanical properties of windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) leaf sheath fiber, which were frequently wasted. Significant variation was observed in fiber diameter and cross-sectional morphology among different layers in a single leaf sheath, whereas the chemical composition, relative crystallinity index, and the microfibrillar angle (MFA) of palm fibers were almost the same among different layers. Windmill palm fibers had low cellulose contents (34.70-35.5%), low relative crystallinity index (45.7-49.2%), and high MFA (38.8°-29.4°), resulting in low strength and modulus, but high failure strain under tensile load. The tensile fracture surface of windmill palm fibers was assessed through SEM studies and its ductile fracture was confirmed, which can potentially enhance the toughness of composites when used as reinforcement material. Nanoindentation was carried out among different leaf sheath layers, and the results showed the modulus and hardness values of windmill palm fibers are in the same range as other plant fibers. The experimental results may help guide selection of suitable reinforcing fibers for use in composites in different applications.

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Section: Fiber Morphologysupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Fiber Morphologysupporting

confidence: 65%

Structural, chemical, and multi-scale mechanical characterization of waste windmill palm fiber (Trachycarpus fortunei)

Zhang

Zhu

et al. 2020

J Wood Sci

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“…This is due to the high content in lignin and the homogeneity of the middle lamella (Figure 2f) that strongly links the single palm fibers together, more than in other plant fibers, despite a soft middle lamella ( Figure 6 & Table 1). The silica-reinforced external paravascular or parafibrovascular parenchyma of bundles [51] is arguably too strong to be damaged, even after a high shear-rate process. In Reference [52], opposite results were highlighted on flax bundles and significant cracks were visible after transverse tensile tests on the CML area.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jute (Corchorus capsularis L) and kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L) fibers, provided by Derotex (Wielsbeke, Belgium), were grown in Bangladesh, and retted in water before being mechanically extracted from the stems; both were cultivated in 2015 [36]. Date palm fibers (Phoenix dactylifera L.) were from Al-Ahsa (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia), and the large bundle of the mesh surrounding the date palm tree stems were considered [51]. All samples were dried 2 h in an oven at 60 • C to eliminate the moisture; then, they were dehydrated in a graded series of ethanol and included in London Resin (LR)-white acrylic resin.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle Lamella of Plant Fibers Used as Composite Reinforcement: Investigation by Atomic Force Microscopy

et al. 2020

Self Cite

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Today, plant fibers are considered as an important new renewable resource that can compete with some synthetic fibers, such as glass, in fiber-reinforced composites. In previous works, it was noted that the pectin-enriched middle lamella (ML) is a weak point in the fiber bundles for plant fiber-reinforced composites. ML is strongly bonded to the primary walls of the cells to form a complex layer called the compound middle lamella (CML). In a composite, cracks preferentially propagate along and through this layer when a mechanical loading is applied. In this work, middle lamellae of several plant fibers of different origin (flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, nettle, and date palm leaf sheath), among the most used for composite reinforcement, are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The peak-force quantitative nanomechanical property mapping (PF-QNM) mode is used in order to estimate the indentation modulus of this layer. AFM PF-QNM confirmed its potential and suitability to mechanically characterize and compare the stiffness of small areas at the micro and nanoscale level, such as plant cell walls and middle lamellae. Our results suggest that the mean indentation modulus of ML is in the range from 6 GPa (date palm leaf sheath) to 16 GPa (hemp), depending on the plant considered. Moreover, local cell-wall layer architectures were finely evidenced and described.Molecules 2020, 25, 632 2 of 17 be found in Wambua et al. [8]. The authors studied several poly-(propylene) composites reinforced with different plant fibers (sisal, kenaf, jute, hemp, and coir), and their results showed that coir fibers, extracted from seeds, have lower longitudinal mechanical properties than the others but, on the other hand, they exhibit a higher impact strength, which was also confirmed in Reference [9]. This result follows the functional evolution of the different kinds of cells in a plant; for example, bast fibers are responsible for the stiff structure of a plant and this specific role also explains their high mechanical performance.Every bast fiber has a similar (ultra)structural model even if they originate from different plants. An elementary fiber is a single cell, and several fibers are linked to each other to form a bundle of several dozens of single fibers having a multilayer structure, as illustrated in Figure 1a: (1) the lumen is the central hollow part of the cell and its shape and diameter vary with the maturity of the plant and the environmental conditions during growth; (2) the secondary cell wall is the thickest layer, divided into two to three sub-layers (S 1 , S 2 or G, and S 3 ) rich in cellulose where the thinner and not always visible S 3 can also be assimilated to unmatured Gn layer instead of a real S 3 [10]; (3) the primary cell wall is the external layer enriched in hemicelluloses, pectins, and lignin [11]. Between the fibers, there is another layer called middle lamella (ML), which cements the primary cell walls of adjacent cells together and is mainly composed of pectic polysaccharides, lignin, and a small amou...

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“…Other studies have been performed using date palm pruning waste as a reinforcement in concrete [22][23][24], in gypsum [25], and in the manufacturing of different composites [25][26][27]. Most of these works were aimed at the use of palm pruning waste to produce thermal insulating materials [18,21,22,25,[28][29][30]. These investigations showed different results depending on the palm species and the part of the plant used (generally the leaves or trunk).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Particleboard Made from Palm Tree Prunings

Ferrández-García

Ferrández-Villena

et al. 2018

Forests

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Palm trees are very fast-growing species. Their management produces annually a large amount of biomass that traditionally has been either disposed of at dumping sites or has been burnt onsite. This paper presents an experimental study to obtain particleboard using this biomass in a low energy process (short pressing time and low pressing temperature), using particles of different sizes from the rachis (midrib) of the three palm species most representative of urban gardening in Spain: canary palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and washingtonia palm (Washingtonia robusta H. Wendl). Their physical and mechanical properties were tested, and the feasibility of their use as a construction material was evaluated. The results showed that the manufactured particleboard had similar performance to conventional wood particleboard and good thermal insulation properties. Boards made with the canary species showed better mechanical performance. The properties of the particleboard depended on the particle size and species. The use of the pruning waste of palm trees to produce durable materials such as particleboard could be beneficial to the environment since it is a method of carbon fixation, helping to decrease atmospheric pollution and reducing the amount of waste that ends in dumping sites.

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Exploring the potential of waste leaf sheath date palm fibres for composite reinforcement through a structural and mechanical analysis

Cited by 60 publications

References 63 publications

Structural, chemical, and multi-scale mechanical characterization of waste windmill palm fiber (Trachycarpus fortunei)

Structural, chemical, and multi-scale mechanical characterization of waste windmill palm fiber (Trachycarpus fortunei)

The Middle Lamella of Plant Fibers Used as Composite Reinforcement: Investigation by Atomic Force Microscopy

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Particleboard Made from Palm Tree Prunings

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