Superheated steam treatment of oil palm mesocarp fiber improved the properties of fiber-polypropylene biocomposite
The effect of fiber surface modification by superheated steam (SHS) treatment and fiber content (30 to 50 wt.%) was evaluated relative to the mechanical, morphology, thermal, and water absorption properties of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF)/polypropylene (PP) biocomposites. SHS treatment of OPMF was...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
North Carolina State University
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/53935/1/Superheated%20steam%20treatment%20of%20oil%20palm%20mesocarp%20fiber%20.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/53935/ http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/view/BioRes_11_4_68_Nordin_Superheated_Steam_Treatment_Mesocarp |
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| Summary: | The effect of fiber surface modification by superheated steam (SHS) treatment and fiber content (30 to 50 wt.%) was evaluated relative to the mechanical, morphology, thermal, and water absorption properties of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF)/polypropylene (PP) biocomposites. SHS treatment of OPMF was conducted between 190 and 230 C for 1 h, then the SHS-treated fiber was subjected to melt-blending with PP for biocomposite production. The biocomposite prepared from SHS-OPMF treated at 210 C with 30 wt.% fiber loading resulted in SHS-OPMF/PP biocomposites with a tensile strength of 20.5 MPa, 25% higher than untreated-OPMF/PP biocomposites. A significant reduction of water absorption by 31% and an improved thermal stability by 8% at T5%degradation were also recorded. Scanning electron microscopy images of fractured SHS-OPMF/PP biocomposites exhibited less fiber pull-out, indicating that SHS treatment improved interfacial adhesion between fiber and PP. The results demonstrated SHS treatment is an effective surface modification method for biocomposite production. |
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