DEGUMMING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PALM FIBERS

Abstract

Palm fiber is an abundantly available, low-cost fibrous material that is not sufficiently valorized through the development of value-added products. Herein, palm fibers were degummed by acid treatment combined with alkali-peroxide bath. To explore the influence of various factors on the degumming results, the efficiency of degumming was assessed through single factor and orthogonal experiments. The optimal scheme for the preparation of palm fibers was obtained: the samples were pretreated with 0.06% sulfuric acid solution in an 80 °C water bath for 30 min, then treated with 20.0 g/L of NaOH, 40 mL/L of H2O2 and 2% Na2SiO3 for 2.5 h in a 95 °C water bath. The optimal degumming rate was 65.50%. The results showed that, after degumming, impurities, such as hemicelluloses and lignin, were basically removed, the main component of the fiber after degumming was cellulose. The crystallinity and thermal stability were improved, which was beneficial for the further development and utilization of the palm fiber.