The effect of cellulose nanocrystals in sugarcane bagasse particleboards of pith and fibers

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to investigate sugarcane bagasse (SCB) particleboards, using two kinds of particles, from pith and fibers, reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (NCC). The NCCs were dispersed in the adhesive urea formaldehyde (UF) using a sonificator in two proportions (0 and 1%). The NCCs and UF were applied in the SCB particles using a rotary blender. The particleboards were produced in three layers using two kinds of particles: pith and fibers. After dispersion of the adhesive, the mixture was compressed to produce the particleboards, which were characterized by physical, mechanical and thermal properties. The anatomical and chemical features relating to pith and fiber were very similar. The particleboards made with and without NCCs did not differ statistically for most properties: modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), water absorption (WA) thermal conductivity (TC), and the volume heat capacity (VHC). Particleboards made only with fibers and without NCCs showed higher internal bond (IB). In the other hand particleboards made only with fibers in the face and pith in the core (without NCCs) showed lower thickness swelling after 24 hours (TS24h). Probably, the NCCs did not improve the particleboards performance, because less links were available for SCB to interact with the adhesive. For the others properties the particleboards made with pith and fibers did not showed statistical difference (MOE, MOR, TC, WA, TC and VHC), demonstrating that separation of pith and fiber are not significant and does not affect the final properties of particleboards

Estimation of the interfacial shears strength, orientation factor and mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength in old newspaper fiber/polypropylene composites

The present paper investigates the suitability of old newspapers (ONPs) as a source of reinforcing fibers for composite materials. Different percentages of ONP fibers were compounded with polypropylene (PP). A coupling agent was added to the compound to improve the interface between matrix and reinforcing fibers. Tensile test were performed to obtain the mechanical properties of the composite materials. Micromechanics of the fibers were obtained using Hirsch model, Bowyer Bader methodology and Kelly-Tyson equations. Due to the presence of a percentage of calcium carbonate in the obtained fibers (10%), the computed intrinsic characteristics were addressed as equivalent. The most important results were the mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength of the ONP fibers, the mean orientation angle and the mean interfacial shear strength. The contributions of the matrix, the subcritical and the supercritical fibers to the tensile strength of the composite material were also computed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Serrano, A.; Espinach, FX.; Julian, F.; Rey Tormos, RMD.; Mendez, JA.; Mutje, P. (2013). Estimation of the interfacial shears strength, orientation factor and mean equivalent intrinsic tensile strength in old newspaper fiber/polypropylene composites. Composites Part B: Engineering. 50:232-238. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2013.02.018S2322385

Coir fibers as valuable raw material for biofuel pellet production.

Coir is a natural, lignin rich, fiber that can be found between the hard internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. There are multiple products made from coir fibers but a significant amount of fibers accumulating from coconut processing remains unutilized. Coir fibers obtained from ripe (brown fibers) and unripe (white fibers) have a high lignin content about 41?42 wt%, a low ash content < 15 wt% and a high heating value of about 18.5?19 MJ kg&#8722;1. The pelletizing properties were studied in a laboratory scale, single pellet press, and produced pellets were of high mechanical properties. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was used to identify the glass transition temperature of coir lignin and indicated that at the applied conditions the softening of coir lignin occurs at about 120?130 °C, which is the usual temperature reached in an industrial scale pellet mill. These properties make coir a suitable raw material for fuel pellet production. Its high availability makes coir fibers a potential replacement for firewood and charcoal in developing countries, and thereby contributes to reduce deforestation

Obtaining nanofibers from curauá and sugarcane bagasse fibers using enzymatic hydrolysis followed by sonication

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