Effect of Potassium Permanganate treatment on physico-Chemical and mechanical properties of extracted Pine Needle Fiber

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of extracted pine needle fiber (PNF) to substitute synthetic fibers in biopolymer composites as a reinforcing material. The study is focused on the surface modification and characterizing of the extracted PNF. Water retting method was used to extract the PNF before being subjected to potassium permanganate treatment. The surface treatment with potassium permanganate resulted in higher density (1058 kg/m3) compared to the untreated fibers (1017 kg/m3). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the surface treatments positively impacted the natural fiber’s crystallinity index (CI). Additionally, the tensile strength of PNF were found to be enhanced on potassium permanganate treatment from 49.67 ± 9.6 MPa (untreated PNF) to 56.75 ± 16.54 MPa (treated PNF). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the potassium permanganate treated PNF will be suitable to be used as reinforcement in fabricating the ecologically friendly composites.