Experimental investigation on the physicochemical properties of Terminalia catappa fiber

• Published in: Biomass conversion and biorefinery Vol. 14; no. 9; pp. 10713 - 10721
• Main Authors: Paul, P. Ebenezer Sathish, Pitchipoo, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Chemical treatment; Composite fabrication; Energy; Fiber composites; Industrial applications; Original Article; Physical properties; Polymer matrix composites; Renewable and Green Energy; Thermal stability; X-ray diffraction; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Thermogravimetric analysis; Natural fiber
• DOI: 10.1007/s13399-023-04576-0
• ISSN: 2190-6815

Natural composites have gained the interest of researchers due to its better features like environment friendly, cheap, and lightweight. It is treated as alternative material for polymer composites to prevent harmful releases. Hence, the characterization of natural fiber is vital to understand its ability as good source for composite fabrication. Thus, this research is to perform investigation on Terminalia catappa fiber. This study involved the characterization of Terminalia catappa fiber. Further, the fibers were treated with alkali solution (5% and 10%) and the effect of chemical treatment on the physical properties of fiber was investigated. The tests like XRD, FTIR, and TGA were carried out. Additionally, the fiber’s water uptake characteristics were analyzed. The morphological analysis of the fiber surface was carried out using SEM. Results indicated that NaOH surface modification enhanced the cell member content. The cellulose and hemicelluloses were increased from 62 to 69% and 17 to 25% respectively. Further, the fiber’s density was seen as increasing from 1.22 to 1.46 following alkali treatment. TGA indicated that the fiber with 10% alkali treatment exhibited good thermal stability up to the temperature of 344 °C. Moreover, the fiber’s water uptake ability increased following alkali treatment due to the increase in lignin content. SEM images of fiber surface revealed that the structure of fiber possessed cylindrical geometry and looked like sponge. Hence, it is suggested from this investigation that the Terminalia catappa fiber can act as good source for industrial applications to manufacture natural fiber composites.