Single Fiber Test Behavior of Lignocellulose Sugar Palm Fibers: Effect of Treatments

Abstract

This paper evaluates the influence of two types of treatments on the tensile related properties of sugar palm fiber (SPF) by using a single fiber test. Natural fibers are one of the vital reinforcing materials in polymer composites due to their positive properties. Sugar palm fiber is a kind of lignocellulose fiber that can be a good potential filler material in fibers/polymer composites for many uses. A Scanning electronic microscope was used to evaluate morphological analyses. Seawater and alkaline solution treatments were used to treat the fiber before the test. The properties of sugar palm fibers improved significantly, as the effect of alkaline concentration by 0.5% and 0.25% improved the tensile properties of a single fiber by 10% and 176%, respectively compared to the untreated fiber. On the other hand, the highest effect on sugar palm fibers was the fibers treated by seawater for 30 days by 273%. Morphologic analyses showed that the treatment plays a big role to clean the surface of the fibers and remove the undesirable impurities. Overall, the results depict that the treatments improve the tensile properties of the single SPF.