| Abstrakt: |
The current research study on the characterization of natural fibers is motivated by the need for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives in various industries. India is the largest grower of palmyra palm trees for the cultivation of palm fruit. After harvesting the palm fruit in the tree, the fruit leaf stalk is thrown out as agricultural waste. The research problem focused on understanding the effects of alkali treatment on the cellulose content and properties of PPLSF and methodology involved subjecting the cellulose fiber to alkali treatment using a specific concentration of sodium hydroxide. This research is aimed at characterizing palmyra palm primary flower leaf stalk fiber (PPFLSF) that was extracted from palmyra palm tree using the manual retting process method. The extracted fibers were treated with alkali treatment with 5% NaOH, and their characteristics were studied. Alkali-treated and untreated PPFLSF behavior of physical–chemical analysis, mechanical properties, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were investigated to find the scope of the natural fiber reinforced composite material. The mechanical properties of the tensile strength (1312–1423 MPa) and young modulus (1.31–1.47 GPa) were increased by 15% and 14%, respectively, after treatment of alkali. The results of the thermal stability provide the degradation temperature of 250 °C for the PPFLSF-5%. From the chemical analysis, alkali-treated PPFLSF had increased the cellulose content by 7%, compared to the raw PPFLSF. XRD analysis indicated a crystallinity index of 57.8% and a crystal size of 35.96 nm. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to confirm the organic groups of the fiber, which revealed the cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, waxes, etc. Morphological analysis was compared between untreated PPFLSF and treated PPFLSF by SEM analysis which showed surface improvements after treatment and occurrence of surface pollutants including wax, impurities, and other foreign materials. Followed by, AFM was also performed to find the surface roughness characteristics of the PPFLSF confirm to the possible manufacturing of the polymer composite for light load applications. These results contribute to a better understanding of the effects of alkali treatment on cellulose fibers and provide valuable insights into their potential applications in various industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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