Effect of Biopolymer Composition of Natural Fibers on Thermal Properties of Kenaf Core and Oil Palm Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Poly (lactic acid) Bio-composites

This work demonstrates the combination of cellulose-rich oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF) and lignin-rich kenaf core fiber (KCF) as hybrid reinforcement in poly (lactic acid) (PLA) matrix for a novel fabrication of hybrid bio-composites. Physicochemical characteristics of EFBF and KCF were determined. Single-fiber bio-composite were fabricated, and the hybrid bio-composite was achieved by manually mixing 55% (wt) EFBF with 5 % (wt) KCF. The mixture was melt-blended with 40 % (wt) PLA, and subjected to compression-molding. Characterizations via dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis revealed synergistic improvement in the thermal performance of the hybrid bio-composites compared to their single-fiber biocomposite. This implies that hybridization of the cellulose-rich EFBF with lignin-rich KCF is viable approach to achieving novel application of oil palm fiber in bio-composite fabrication and potential applications

Enhancement of tensile strength of oil palm mesocarp fiber/poly(butylene succinate) biocomposite via superheated steam-alkali treatment of oil palm mesocarp fiber / Yoon Yee Then ... [et al.]

Natural fiber is incompatible with hydrophobic polymer due to its hydrophilic nature. Therefore, surface modification of fiber is needed to impart compatibility. In this work,superheated steam (SHS)-alkali was introduced as novel surface treatment method to modify oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) for fabrication of biocomposites. The OPMF was first pre-treated with SHS and subsequently treated with varying NaOH concentration (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%) and soaking time (1, 2, 3 and 4h) at room temperature. The biocomposites were then fabricated by melt blending of 70 wt% SHS-alkali treated-OPMFs and 30 wt% poly(butylene succinate) in a Brabender internal mixer followed by hot-pressed moulding. The combination treatment resulted in fiber with rough surface as well as led to the exposure ofmicrofibers. The tensile test result showed that fiber treated at 2% NaOH solution and 3h soaking time produced biocomposite with highest improvement in tensile strength (69%) and elongation at break (36%) in comparison to that of untreated OPMF

Iminodiacetic acid modified kenaf fiber for waste water treatment

In the present study, iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-modified kenaf fiber, K-IDA formed by the chemical modification of plant kenaf biomass was tested for its efficacy as a sorbent material towards the purification of waste water. The K-IDA fiber was first characterized by the instrumental techniques like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, elemental analysis (CHNSO), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On testing for the biosorption, we found that the K-IDA has an increment in the adsorption of Cu²⁺ ions as compared against the untreated fiber. The Cu²⁺ ions adsorption onto K-IDA fits very well with the Langmuir model and the adsorption maximum achieved to be 91.74 mg/g. Further, the adsorption kinetics observed to be pseudo second-order kinetics model and the Cu²⁺ ions adsorption is a spontaneous endothermic process. The desorption study indicates a highest percentage of Cu²⁺ of 97.59% from K-IDA under 1 M HCl solution against H₂SO₄ (72.59%) and HNO₃ (68.66%). The reusability study indicates that the efficiency did not change much until the 4th cycle and also providing enough evidence for the engagement of our biodegradable K-IDA fiber towards the removal of Cu²⁺ ions in real-time waste water samples obtained from the electroplating and wood treatment industries

FTIR and TGA analysis of biodegradable poly(lactic acid)/treated kenaf bast fibre: effect of plasticizers

A biodegradable composite (PLA/KBF blends) was prepared using melt blending technique in a brabender mixer and characterized with FTIR and TGA analyzer. Five percent of triacetin and glycerol contents were used as plasticizers to plasticise PLA matrix. KBF was treated with 4% NaOH solution, while 30 wt% of fibre loading was used constantly for all the composite samples. From the FTIR analysis, the additions of triacetin and glycerol to PLA composites did not produce any significant difference, and there were no chemical changes in both the plasticized PLA with the treated and untreated KBF, respectively. Observation done on the TGA analysis revealed that both plasticizers did improve the thermal stability of the composites, and this might be due to the modification on the fibre surfaces, which further led to the delay in the degradation of the PLA matrix and to significant stabilization effect

Theoretical and Numerical Approaches for Determining the Reflection and Transmission Coefficients of OPEFB-PCL Composites at X-Band Frequencies

<div><p>Bio-composites of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres and polycaprolactones (PCL) with a thickness of 1 mm were prepared and characterized. The composites produced from these materials are low in density, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and possess good dielectric characteristics. The magnitudes of the reflection and transmission coefficients of OPEFB fibre-reinforced PCL composites with different percentages of filler were measured using a rectangular waveguide in conjunction with a microwave vector network analyzer (VNA) in the X-band frequency range. In contrast to the effective medium theory, which states that polymer-based composites with a high dielectric constant can be obtained by doping a filler with a high dielectric constant into a host material with a low dielectric constant, this paper demonstrates that the use of a low filler percentage (12.2%OPEFB) and a high matrix percentage (87.8%PCL) provides excellent results for the dielectric constant and loss factor, whereas 63.8% filler material with 36.2% host material results in lower values for both the dielectric constant and loss factor. The open-ended probe technique (OEC), connected with the Agilent vector network analyzer (VNA), is used to determine the dielectric properties of the materials under investigation. The comparative approach indicates that the mean relative error of FEM is smaller than that of NRW in terms of the corresponding S₂₁ magnitude. The present calculation of the matrix/filler percentages endorses the exact amounts of substrate utilized in various physics applications.</p></div

S-parameter measurement processes.

<p>S-parameter measurement processes.</p

Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (45%OPEFB+55%PCL).

<p>Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (45%OPEFB+55%PCL).</p

Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (23.8%OPEFB+76.2%PCL).

<p>Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (23.8%OPEFB+76.2%PCL).</p

RL variation of OPEFB-PCL composites inside rectangular waveguide at different OPEFB filler percentage.

<p>RL variation of OPEFB-PCL composites inside rectangular waveguide at different OPEFB filler percentage.</p

Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (63.8%OPEFB+36.2%PCL).

<p>Measured, simulated and calculated S₁₁ and S₂₁ of (63.8%OPEFB+36.2%PCL).</p