EFFECT OF CHEMICAL TREATMENT ON THE CONSTITUENTS AND TENSILE PROPERTIES OF OIL PALM LEAF FIBRE
Journal Title: Academic Research International - Year 2012, Vol 2, Issue 3
Abstract
The effect of chemical treatment on the constituents and tensile properties of oil palm leaf fiber was investigated. Oil palm leaves were cut and buried underground close to the stream, and were regularly wetted with water to ensure proper fermentation for 20 days. The fermented leaves were washed and sun dried. The dried oil palm leaf fibers obtained were mechanically treated with chemicals, while some were left as control (untreated). The fibers were then characterized in terms of their percentage constituents, and their tensile properties determined with Instron universal testing machine. The tensile properties studied were ultimate tensile strength (UTS), elongation at yield and at break, Young’s modulus of elasticity as well as resilience. The results show that chemical treatments enhanced the removal of lignin and hemicelluloses which are detrimental to the interfacial bond strength of composite produced from natural fibers, except the sample treated with alkaline peroxide. Tensile test results reveal that fiber sample treated sequentially with KOH, acetic acid, Nacl and Hcl produced the highest UTS, elongation at yield, elongation at break and resilience. This is attributed to the plasticizing effect of the chemical treatment. However, the untreated fiber sample exhibited the highest Young’s modulus of elasticity. This observation was attributed to the highly crystalline nature of unmodified cellulose.
Authors and Affiliations
G. Onyeagoro
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP87000
- DOI -
- Views 180
- Downloads 0
DEVELOP HUMAN CAPITAL THROUGH MUSIC EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA
Music and art are two distinctive subjects which contribute towards the development of human interest in creating and upgrading human capital development. For us Malaysian, this subject is often considered as a...
MEASUREMENT OF SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN
The aim of this paper was to measure the scientific attitude of secondary school students. The data were drawn from ten schools of District Rajanpur, Pakistan. Total samples of 100 students were drawn randomly. The ins...
EVALUATION OF SPATIAL GROWTH DYNAMICS IN THE PERI-URBAN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOODS IN MINNA, NIGERIA.
Spatial development of the peri-urban had been attributed to the challenges confronting the cities in the areas of housing, infrastructure provision and unemployment. This study examined the rate of spatial development a...
Challenges of Productivity and Work Ethics for Local Governments in Nigeria
The Nigerian public service (including the local government service) has gone through series of reforms and restructuring since 1976. The main aim of these reforms/guidelines has been to overcome the challenges of...
Risk Factors and Spine Abnormalities in Children with Spina Bifida in Central Sudan
Spina bifida is a common cause of disability in infancy and childhood. Up to 70% of spina bifida cases can be prevented by maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation. The aim of this prospective research was to...