The isolation and characterization of lignin of kenaf fiber

In this article, milled wood lignin (MWL) was isolated and purified from retted kenaf fiber, the lignin obtained was characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy. The C₉ formula is calculated for kenaf fiber MWL as C₉H_9.32O_3.69(OCH₃)_1.30. The spectra of FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR show the kenaf fiber lignin to be of the G/S type with high proportion of syringyl (S) unit. The numbers of phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyl groups in the kenaf fiber MWL are estimated to be 0.14 and 1.31, respectively, per C₉ unit. The OH_aliph is 90.3% in total numbers of hydroxyl groups of kenaf fiber MWL, and the OH_ph is 9.7%. It is evident that the β‐O‐4 structures are mainly linkage in the MWL of kenaf fiber, which contain more erythro stereochemistry type in β‐O‐4 units than thero stereochemistry type. In general, the characteristics of lignin of kenaf fiber are similar to that of hardwood. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Non‐traditional lightweight polypropylene composites reinforced with milkweed floss

Lightweight composites are preferred for automotive applications due to the weight restrictions and also due to the presence of inherent voids that can enhance the sound absorption of these composites. The density of the reinforcing materials plays a crucial role in such lightweight composites. Milkweed is a unique natural cellulose fiber that has a completely hollow center and low density (0.9 g cm^?3) unlike any other natural cellulose fiber. The low density of milkweed fibers will allow the incorporation of higher amounts of fiber per unit weight of a composite, which is expected to lead to lightweight composites with better properties. Polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with milkweed fibers have much better flexural and tensile properties than similar PP composites reinforced with kenaf fibers. Milkweed fiber‐reinforced composites have much higher strength but are stiffer than kenaf fiber‐reinforced PP composites. Increasing the proportion of milkweed in the composites from 35 to 50% increases the flexural strength but decreases the tensile strength. The low density of milkweed fibers allows the incorporation of higher amounts of fibers per unit weight of the composites and hence provides better properties compared to composites reinforced with common cellulose fibers with relatively high density. This research shows that low‐density reinforcing materials can more efficiently reinforce lightweight composites. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rigid polyurethane and kenaf core composite foams

Rigid PU foams are valuable in many construction applications. Kenaf is a bast fiber plant where the surface stem skin provides bast fibers whose strength‐to‐weight ratio competes with glass fiber. The higher volume product of the kenaf core is an under‐investigated area in composite applications. The naturally porous structure of kenaf‐core provides a novel reinforcement particle. In this work, foams of rigid polyurethane with 5, 10, and 15% kenaf‐core were formed. To date efforts at using it as a reinforcement have proven largely unsuccessful. This was mirrored in this effort when free expansion of the foam was utilized. However, introducing constraint during foaming resulted in reinforcement. The environmental scanning electron microscopy is used in conjunction with in‐situ microCT compression to capture the change in void fractions before and after deformation. The results show that free foaming resulted in poor reinforcement while a constrained expansion on the foam increased the reinforcement potential of the kenaf core. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:132–144, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of the delignification of wood fibers on the mechanical properties of wood fiber–polypropylene composites

The effect of the delignification of hornbeam fibers on the mechanical properties of wood fiber–polypropylene (PP) composites was studied. Original fibers and delignified fibers at three levels of delignification were mixed with PP at a weight ratio of 40:60 in an internal mixer. Maleic anhydride (0.5 wt %) as the coupling agent and dicumyl peroxide (0.1 wt %) as the initiator were applied. The produced composites were then hot‐pressed, and specimens for physical and mechanical testing were prepared. The results of the properties of the composite materials indicate that delignified fibers showed better performance in the enhancement of tensile strength and tensile modulus, whereas the hardness of the composites was unaffected by delignification. Delignified fibers also exhibited better water absorption resistance. Notched impact strength was higher for delignified fiber composites, but it was reduced at higher delignification levels. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4759–4763, 2006     

Composite effect of silica nanoparticle on the mechanical properties of cellulose‐based hydrogels derived from cottonseed hulls

Recently, cellulose‐based hydrogel nanocomposite materials have been attracted increasing attention owing to their potential applications in different areas including medical, electrical, optical, and magnetic fields. This is due to the fact that cellulose is one of the most abundant resources and possesses several unique properties required in medical fields, whereas silica nanoparticles (nSiO₂) play an important role in developing materials with high functionality. In this study, cottonseed hull (CSH) was used as a source of cellulose and nSiO₂ was used to prepare hydrogel nanocomposite films via phase inversion method without chemical crosslinking agent of cellulose. CSH was first pre‐treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) for delignification and bleaching, respectively. The pre‐treated CSH exhibited whiter fiber and lower amount of lignin as compared with the untreated CSH. The properties of cellulose‐base hydrogel were found to be improved as a result of the addition of nSiO₂ at 2–6 wt % for tensile strength and up to 10 wt % for modulus and elastic modulus (G′). However, the elongation at break was decreased with the incorporation of nSiO₂. Moreover, the TEM images displayed the nano‐grape structure of nSiO₂ surrounded by cellulose molecules. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44557.     

Characteristics of murta bast fiber reinforced epoxy composites

The growing global concern over environment protection has led to the application of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites as alternative materials in manufacturing sectors. Various natural fibers are therefore being explored for reinforcement of polymer matrices. In the present work, murta bast fibers of varying length and weight percent are mixed randomly with the epoxy matrix and the composites are prepared from these mixtures by using the hand lay‐up method. The composites are characterized on the basis of density, thermal gravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile strength, flexural strength, compressive strength, impact strength, and Rockwell hardness studies. Tensile, flexural, and compressive moduli of the composites are also determined. The tensile strength of the composite was analyzed in the light of the different analytical models. Composites containing 30 weight % fibers of length 25 or 35 mm have the optimum mechanical properties. Murta bast fiber has the characteristics to become a good natural material for reinforcement. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44142.     

Structure and properties of high quality natural cellulose fibers from cornstalks

We have developed a fiber extraction method that produces fibers from cornstalks with mechanical properties similar to that of the common textile fibers. The fiber extraction method developed results in partial delignification and produces fibers from cornstalks that are suitable for textile and other industrial applications. The structure of the fibers obtained was investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The structure and composition of the natural cellulose fibers obtained from cornstalks are different than that of the common bast fibers such as flax and kenaf. Tensile properties of the fibers were studied using an Instron tensile tester. This study found that cornstalk fibers have relatively lower percent crystallinity but similar microfibrillar angle as that of the common bast fibers. The structure and properties of cornstalk fibers indicate that the fibers are suitable for producing various textile products.     

Potential of producing carbon fiber from biorefinery corn stover lignin with high ash content

The possibility of producing carbon fiber from an industrial corn stover lignin was investigated in the present study. As‐received, high‐ash containing lignin was subjected to methanol fractionation, acetylation, and thermal treatment prior to melt spinning and the changes in physiochemical and thermal properties were evaluated. Methanol fractionation removed most of the impurities in the raw lignin and also selectively removed the molecules with high melting points. However, neither methanol fractionation nor thermal treatment rendered melt‐spinnable precursors. The precursors were highly viscous and decomposed easily at low temperatures, attributed to the presence of H, G phenolic units, and abundant hydroxycinnamate groups in herbaceous lignin. A two‐step acetylation of methanol fractionated lignin greatly improved the mobility of lignin, while enhancing the thermal stability of the precursor during melt‐spinning. Fourier Transform Infrared and 2D‐NMR analysis showed that the contents of phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyls, as well as the hydroxycinnamates, decreased in the acetylated precursors. The optimum precursor was a partially acetylated lignin with a glass transition temperature of 85 °C. Upon oxidative stabilization and carbonization, the carbon fibers with an average tensile strength of 454 MPa and modulus of 62 GPa were obtained. The Raman spectroscopy showed the I_D/I_G ratio of the carbon fiber was 2.53. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45736.     

红麻硫酸盐法蒸煮中溶出木素的分子量分布及变化

采用凝胶色谱法（GPC）对红麻皮和秆芯硫酸盐法蒸煮过程中溶出木素的分子量及其分布的变化进行了研究。结果表明，随着蒸煮的进行，红麻皮和秆芯溶出木素的平均分子量逐渐增大，多分散性和特性粘数也相应增大。此外，在同一蒸煮条件下，红麻秆芯溶出木素的平均分子量高于红麻皮，这也说明了红麻秆芯比红麻皮更难脱木素。研究还发现，红麻原料木素以及溶出木素的分子量分布曲线都呈单峰现象。     

Effect of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane on mechanical properties of PLA/PBAT blend reinforced kenaf fiber

The composite-based poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/kenaf fiber has been prepared using melt blending method. A PLA/PBAT blend with the ratio of 90:10 wt%, and the same blend ratio reinforced with various amounts of kenaf fiber have been prepared and characterized. However, the addition of kenaf fiber has reduced the mechanical properties sharply due to the poor interaction between the fiber and polymer matrix. Modification of the composite by (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) showed improvements in mechanical properties, increasing up to 42.46, 62.71 and 22.00 % for tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength, respectively. The composite treated with 2 % APTMS successfully exhibited optimum tensile strength (52.27 MPa), flexural strength (64.27 MPa) and impact strength (234.21 J/m). Morphological interpretation through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals improved interaction and interfacial adhesion between PLA/PBAT blend and kenaf fiber. The fiber was well distributed and remained in the PLA/PBAT blend evenly. DMA results showed lower storage modulus (E′) for PLA/PBAT/kenaf fiber blend and an increase after modification by 2 wt% APTMS. Conversely, the relative damping properties decreased. Based on overall results, APTMS can be used as coupling agent for the composite since APTMS can improve the interaction between hydrophilic natural fibers and non-polar polymers.     

The Degradation of Lignin,Cellulose, and Hemicellulose in Kenaf Bast Under Different Pressures Using Steam Explosion Treatment

The study of the main chemical composition degradation, especially cellulose degradation at high temperatures and within high moisture environments, provides important information that can guide biomass processing using steam explosion (STEX) and other similar treatments. In this paper, kenaf bast was treated using STEX at pressures of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MPa. The chemical composition change and the infrared spectra were investigated. The crystalline index and degree of polymerization of kenaf cellulose were also quantified. It was found that pectin and hemicellulose could be easily degraded with the STEX treatment, while lignin only exhibited slight decomposition; cellulose degraded at 1.5 MPa STEX treatment on the kenaf. Research also indicates that cellulose with a low molecular weight can be removed with a low-pressure STEX treatment. By coupling STEX with chemical degumming process, the high-quality kenaf fiber with 7.12% residue gum content and 134.5 Nm fineness can be obtained.     

Recycling of polypropylene‐based eco‐composites

BACKGROUND: Renewable resources and recyclable thermoplastic polymers provide an attractive eco‐friendly quality as well as environmental sustainability to the resulting natural fibre‐reinforced composites. The properties of polypropylene (PP)‐based composites reinforced with rice hulls or kenaf fibres were investigated with respect to their recyclability. Rice hulls from rice processing plants and natural lignocellulosic kenaf fibres from the bast of the plant Hibiscus cannabinus represent renewable sources that could be utilized for composites. Maleic anhydride‐grafted PP was used as a coupling agent to improve the interfacial adhesion between fillers and matrix. Composites containing 30 wt% reinforcement were manufactured by melt mixing and their mechanical and thermal properties were determined. The composites were then pelletized and reprocessed by melt mixing. Finally, structure/properties relationships were investigated as a function of the number of reprocessing cycles. RESULTS: It is found that the recycling processes do not induce very significant changes in flexural strength and thermal stability of the composites. In particular PP‐based composites reinforced with kenaf fibres are less sensitive to reprocessing cycles with respect to PP‐based composites reinforced with rice hulls. CONCLUSION: The response of PP‐based composites reinforced with rice hulls or kenaf fibres is promising since their properties remain almost unchanged after recycling processes. Moreover, the recycled composites are suitable for applications as construction materials for indoor applications. In fact, the flexural strength and modulus of these materials are comparable to those of conventional formaldehyde wood medium‐density fibreboards. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Oxygen Delignification Chemistry and Its Impact on Pulp Fibers

Abstract

Two southern pine kraft pulps with kappa numbers of 30.0 (SW1-0) and 48.0 (SW2-0) were oxygen delignified by 30–60% by varying the reaction temperature (78–110°C) and charge of sodium hydroxide (1.6–4.4%). O-bleachability was found to be correlated to the incoming kappa number and charge of sodium hydroxide employed. In general, a lower charge of caustic and a higher brownstock kappa number improved pulp bleachability. The residual lignin in the brownstocks and O-delignified kraft pulp samples was isolated and characterized by ¹³C and ³¹P NMR. ¹³C NMR analysis of the residual lignin samples indicated that the post-oxygen delignified pulps were enriched with α-carbonyl groups and carboxylic acid groups. The content of β-O-aryl structures was increased by 23–36% depending on the extent of oxygen delignification. The post-oxygen delignified pulps were also shown to have increased substituted aryl carbons. ³¹P NMR indicated that the relative content of condensed phenolic units increased by 9–20% after the oxygen delignification, depending on the severity of the O-stage. This observation was probably due to the accumulation or formation of 5,5-biphenyl structures in the process. The physical strength properties of brownstock and post-oxygen delignified pulps were assessed in terms of zero-span strength, tensile strength, tear strength, and burst strength. Oxygen delignification led to a slight increase in the curls and kinks of the pulp fibers. The O-stage was shown to cause a 4.8–15.6% decrease in zero-span strength. In contrast, oxygen delignification increased tensile strength. This result could be explained as the improvement of fiber bonding after the oxygen bleaching.     

Effects of kenaf contents and fiber orientation on physical,mechanical, and morphological properties of hybrid laminated composites for vehicle spall liners

The aim of this work is to study the effect of kenaf volume content and fiber orientation on tensile and flexural properties of kenaf/Kevlar hybrid composites. Hybrid composites were prepared by laminating aramid fabric (Kevlar 29) with kenaf in three orientations (woven, 0^o/90^o cross ply uni‐directional (UD), and non‐woven mat) with different kenaf fiber loadings from 15 to 20% and total fiber loading (Kenaf and Kevlar) of 27–49%. The void content varies between 11.5–37.7% to laminate with UD and non‐woven mat, respectively. The void content in a woven kenaf structure is 16.2%. Tensile and flexural properties of kenaf/Kevlar hybrid composites were evaluated. Results indicate that UD kenaf fibers reinforced composites display better tensile and flexural properties as compared to woven and non‐woven mat reinforced hybrid composites. It is also noticed that increasing volume fraction of kenaf fiber in hybrid composites reduces tensile and flexural properties. Tensile fracture of hybrid composites was morphologically analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM micrographs of Kevlar composite failed in two major modes; fiber fracture by the typical splitting process along with, extensive longitudinal matrix and interfacial shear fracture. UD kenaf structure observed a good interlayer bonding and low matrix cracking/debonding. Damage in composite with woven kenaf shows weak kenaf‐matrix bonding. Composite with kenaf mat contains the high void in laminates and poor interfacial bonding. These results motivate us to further study the potential of using kenaf in woven and UD structure in hybrid composites to improve the ballistic application, for example, vehicle spall‐liner. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1469–1476, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The effect of hybridization on mechanical properties of woven kenaf fiber reinforced polyoxymethylene composite

The challenges of using natural fibers in polymer composites include high moisture uptake and poor interfacial bonding with thermoplastic matrix. In this study, the effect of hybridization was investigated to address the challenges of high moisture uptake and balanced mechanical properties in natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. Polyethylene terephthalate fiber (PET) was used in woven kenaf reinforced POM due to its hydrophobic characteristics. The results of tensile test showed that the tensile strength of the interwoven POM/kenaf/PET hybrid composite when tested along kenaf fiber direction, increased from 72 to 85 MPa due to increase in fiber content. Similarly, the tensile strength of the interwoven POM/kenaf/PET hybrid composite increased from 67 to 75 MPa. However, the flexural strength of the interwoven POM/kenaf/PET hybrid composite dropped from 160.1 to 104.9 MPa while that of woven POM/kenaf composite dropped from 191.4 to 90.3 MPa. The interwoven hybrid composite also showed significant improvement in impact strength compared to the woven POM/kenaf composite. The water absorption of the woven POM/kenaf composite dropped by approximately 30% due to hybridization with PET fiber. The results confirmed that hybridization with PET fiber significantly improved the tensile and impact properties of the woven composite and increased its resistance to moisture uptake. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1900–1910, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Pulping with organic acids: 3-acetic acid pulping of Bagasse

Bagasse was subjected to acetic acid pulping; the effects of the addition of 0.5% H₂SO₄ to the pulping solutions (50, 70 and 90% acetic acid) and varying the liquor ratio, on pulp yield, delignification %, pentosan content and strength properties of the pulps obtained were evaluated. Addition of H₂SO₄ improved the delignification but at the expense of yield and pentosan content. The breaking length and burst deteriorated, whereas the tear was slightly improved. Raising the liquor ratio from 5:1 to 10:1 also reduced the strength properties of the pulps. Delignification of Casuarina was easier than bagasse. IR studies of the acetic acid lignins obtained from both raw materials showed that Casuarina lignins contained more syringyl nuclei than bagasse lignin; the latter resembled softwood lignins. Addition of H₂SO₄ to bagasse changed the syringyl-deficient to guaiacyl-deficient lignin. A relationship was found between the ease of delignification for both raw materials and the relative intensity of the bands corresponding to syringyl groups.     

Characterization of an alkali‐treated grass fiber by thermogravimetric and X‐ray crystallographic analysis

The thermal behavior of grass fiber was characterized by means of thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The results proved that the removal of water‐soluble matter improved the thermal behavior of grass fiber over that of unleached fiber, and this was further enhanced by an alkali treatment of the grass fiber. The isothermal weight loss of the grass‐fiber specimens was analyzed at 100, 200, and 300°C for different time periods. Accelerated aging of the grass‐fiber samples was carried out to determine the effect of aging on the tensile strength. Partially delignified grass fiber showed maximum thermal stability. X‐ray diffraction analysis was also performed to verify the composition and to correlate the change in the tensile strength due to the water leaching and alkali treatment. The processing of grass fiber with NaOH and NaClO₂ reduced the amorphous fraction in the fiber sample. This may have been a result of the loss of the amorphous noncellulosic components of the fibers and the degradation of the unordered regions of the grass fiber. However, mercerization of the grass fiber revealed an increase in the amorphous fraction after a certain time exposure, confirming the decrease in the crystallinity. The morphology of the water‐leached and alkali‐treated grass fiber was studied with scanning electron microscopy © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Crystallization and thermomechanical properties of PLA composites: Effects of additive types and heat treatment

This research work has concerned a study on thermomechanical and crystallization properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites containing three different types of additives; namely: kenaf fiber (20 pph), Cloisite30B nanoclay (5 pph), and hexagonal boron nitrile (h‐BN; 5 pph). The composites were prepared using a twin screw extruder before molding. Crystallization behaviors of the various composites were also examined using a differential scanning calorimetry. By adding the additives, tensile modulus of the polymer composites increased, whereas their tensile strength and elongation values decreased as compared to those of the neat PLA. Heat distortion temperature (HDT) values of the materials slightly increased, for about 3–5°C. However, after annealing at 100°C, HDT values of the fabricated PLA composites rapidly increased with annealing time before reaching a plateau after 10 min. The HDT values of above 120°C were achieved when 20 pph kenaf fiber was used as an additive. The above results were in a good agreement with DSC thermograms of the composites, indicating that percentage crystallinity of the materials increased on annealing and crystallization rate of the PLA/kenaf system was the highest. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

锦葵纤维增强聚丙烯基复合材料力学性能研究

分别制备了锦葵纤维含量为10 %（质量分数,下同）、20 %、30 %、40 %和50 %的锦葵纤维增强增强聚丙烯基复合材料,研究了纤维含量对该复合材料拉伸性能和弯曲性能的影响,并与苎麻纤维增强聚丙烯基复合材料进行了对比。结果表明,随着锦葵纤维含量的增加,锦葵纤维增强聚丙烯基复合材料的拉伸强度和拉伸弹性模量逐渐增加,而弯曲强度和弯曲弹性模量呈现先增大后减小的趋势,当纤维含量为40 %时达最大值;纤维含量均为30 %时,除拉伸弹性模量外,锦葵纤维增强聚丙烯基复合材料的各项指标均低于苎麻纤维增强聚丙烯基复合材料。     

Properties of unidirectional kenaf fiber–polyolefin laminates

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of kenaf fiber orientation and furnish formulation on the properties of laminated natural fiber–polymer composites (LNPC). The uniaxial fiber orientation provided property enhancement of the LNPC. The randomly oriented kenaf fibers, regardless of fiber contents in the laminates, provided an equal performance compared to the composites made of 25% fiber glass reinforced polyvinyl ester resin in the same laboratory processing conditions. Thermal properties of the laminates obtained from thermal gravimetry with differential scanning calorimetry (TG‐DSC) showed that the melting point (T_m) of the polypropylene (PP) film laminates decreased, and the crystallization peak increased as the kenaf fiber content in the laminates increased. The surface morphology results of the kenaf fiber and fractures of the laminates showed that some fibers pulled out from the matrix. The mechanical properties increased as the kenaf fiber content increased. The tensile stress of the laminated composites fabricated with unidirectional fiber orientation was about 2–4 times higher than those with the randomly oriented samples. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers