Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP)
Abstract
The natural fiber market has been growing extraordinarily. Hereupon the current work presents the natural fiber of the periquiteira tree Cochlospermum orinocense of the Amazon forest. The chemical composition, physical aspects, morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of this fiber will be discussed. The thermal stability of the fiber samples was about 200 °C. The decomposition of cellulose and hemicelluloses in the fibers occurred at 300 ºC and above, while the degradation of the fibers happened above 400 °C. This fiber had good specific strength and good binding properties due to their low weight and presence of high cellulose (60.15wt.%), low lignin (12.03wt.%). More pronounced mass loss indicated the degradation of the amorphous regions of the cellulose, and finally reached a peak of approximately 390 °C
