Thermal Properties of Butylacrylate (BA) Transesterified and Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO) Cured Coir Fibers

Abstract

Lignocellulosic fibers, also called "Vegetable" fibers, "Plant" fibers or "natural" fibers. They are materials rich in lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose, pectin and some water soluble materials. The great interest of these materials is directly related to their physical, chemical and mechanical properties such as low density, flexibility, biodegradability, porosity, non abrasivity, viscoelasticity, renewable natural resource of low cost and result in less wear on equipment during their processing when compared with synthetic fibers [1,2]. Due to these excellent properties, natural fibers have been used in the textile, paper, bio composites, and technological applications [3]. Coir is a naturally occurring fiber and is available plently in the costal belt of India. Coir is a multi-component fiber whose chemical constituents are cellulose (36-43%), lignin (41-45%), hemicellulose (0.15-0.25%) and pectin together with some water soluble material [4]. The coir fibers are also extensively used in textiles (carpets, mats), in buildings (thermal insulation) and in automobiles (seat covers, cushions) [5]. Coir fibers have great potential for distinct applications owing to their varied physico-chemical properties [6-8]. Among the various applications suggested, use in agricultural substrate [9] , solid state fermentation [10] , source of tannin for industrial applications [11] , reinforcement for polymeric composites [3] , as a support for amylase [12] and lipase immobilization [13,14]. For a number of these applications, the characteristics of the fiber surface are very important to obtain a high quality