Processing Parameters Influence on Disintegration Intensity of Technical Hemp Fibres

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of researches are dedicated to the identification of local cellulose sources to understand their specifics and develop environmentally friendly technologies according to the field of usage. Since the cellulose mass in hemp cells varies from 45% to 70%, hemp stems and their processing products can be considered as the raw material for various products, including cellulose. The article analyses the phloem fiber variety of a hemp sort grown in Latvia named Bialobrzeskie. Treatment in sodium alkali solution and steam explosion technology have been applied to split technical fibers into elementary fibers. This has the aim to find the best way to produce fiber without using environmentally harmful chemical treatments and to solve problems for further environmentally friendly nano-level disintegration of cellulose with further integration into the structure of composite materials. The influence of the treatment intensity on the residue carried out in the first stage of research is reflected and an analysis of the steam explosion process temperature and pressure influence on the fiber chemical component proportion changes during different treatments are carried out