INTRODUCTION

Composites are combination of two materials in which one of the material is called the
reinforcing phase, is in the form of fibers, sheets, or particles, and is embedded in the other
material called the matrix phase.

Typically, reinforcing materials are strong with low densities while the matrix is usually a
ductile or tough material. If the composite is designed and fabricated correctly, it combines the
strength of the reinforcement with the toughness of the matrix to achieve a combination of
desirable properties not available in any single conventional material.

The essence of the concept of composites is that the load is applied over a large surface area of
the matrix. Matrix then transfers the load to the reinforcement, which being stiffer, increases
the strength of the composite. It is important to note that there are many matrix materials and
even more fiber types, which can be combined in countless ways to produce just the desired
properties.

Fig 1: Fiber reinforced polymer composites

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Natural Fiber

The plants, which produce natural fibers, are classified as primary and secondary depending
on their utilization. Primary plants are those grown for their fibre content while secondary
plants are plants in which the fibres are produced as a by-product. Jute, hemp, kenaf, and
sisal are examples of primary plants. Pineapple, oil palm and coir are examples of secondary
plants. Fig. 2 shows the main fibers used commercially in composites, which are now
produced throughout the world.

Fig 2: Classification of natural and synthetic fibers [4]

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Polymer
Polymers have broad classification but according to their thermo-physical behavior polymers
classify as thermoplastics and thermosets.

 Thermoplastics are long-chain polymers that slide easily past one another when heated,
hence, they tend to be easy to form, bend, and break.

Ex. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polyurethane,

polycarbonate

 Thermosets are cross-linked polymers that form 3-D networks, hence are strong and
rigid.

Ex. Epoxy and polyester, with the former most commonly used; others are phenolics,
fluorocarbons, silicon, polyethersulfone, and polyimides.

Application of Natural Fibre-Polymer Composite

Natural fiber polymer composite have many application like automotive industries,
construction application, medical application, electrical application etc.

Automotive industries: The role of automotive industry in this field is quite important. The
first carmaker to use polymers filled with natural fibers was Mercedes-Benz in the ninty’s, by
manufacturing door panels containing jute fibers. This ‘‘example’’ was soon followed by other
main carmakers. Mercedes-Benz introduced jute based door panels into its A-Class vehicles as
long as eight years ago. Virtually, all the major car manufacturers in Germany (Daimler
Chrysler, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi Group, BMW, Ford and Opel) now use natural fibres
composites in various applications.

Construction application: Construction holds priority for the adaptation of composites in

place of conventional materials being used like doors and windows, paneling, furniture,
nonstructural gratings, long span roof structures, tanks, bridge components and complete bridge
systems and other interiors. Components made of composite materials find extensive
applications in shuttering supports, special architectural structures imparting aesthetic
appearance, large signage’s etc. with the advantages like corrosion resistance, longer life, low
maintenance, ease in workability, fire retardancy etc

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Advantages of Natural Fibre Reinforcement

1. Lower cost

2. Biodegradable limited to fibers only

3. Thermally recyclable

4. Reduced density of products

5. Renewable source of raw material

6. Less abrasive, more pleasant to handle, reduced tool wear

7. CO2 neutral, low energy consumption (low CO2); thus low “carbon footprint”

8. Excellent mechanical properties

 High flexural and tensile modulus up to 5 times of base resin
 High notched impact strength up to 2 times of base resin

9. Safe manufacturing processes

 No airborne glass particles, relief from occupational hazards.

 Reduced dermal and respiratory irritation and no emission of toxic fumes when
subjected to heat and incineration

Modification of Natural Fibres

The main disadvantages of natural fibers in reinforcement to composites are the poor
compatibility between fibre and matrix and their relative high moisture absorption. Therefore,
natural fibre modifications are considered in modifying the fibre surface properties to improve
their adhesion with different matrices. An exemplary strength and stiffness could be achieved
with a strong interface that is very brittle in nature with easy crack propagation through the

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matrix and fibre. The efficiency of stress transfer from the matrix to the fibre could be reduced
with a weaker interface.

Hence, Natural fibre modifications are considered in modifying the fibre surface properties to
improve their adhesion with different matrices.

 Physical treatments (plasma and corona)

 Chemical treatments (Alkaline treatment, acetylation etc.)
 Surface modification (compatibilizer or coupling agent)

The natural fibre reinforced polymer composites performance depends on

several factors:

1. Fibers chemical composition

2. Cell dimensions

3. Defects

4. Structure

5. Physical properties

6. Mechanical properties

7. Interaction of a fiber with the polymer

LITERATURE REVIEW

Faruk et.al(2012) Studied that bio composites reinforced with natural fibers and/or
biopolymers have developed significantly over the past years because of their significant
processing advantages, biodegradability, low cost, low relative density, high specific strength
and renewable nature. These composites are predestined to find more and more application in
the near future, especially in Europe, where pressure from both legislation and the public is
rising. Interfacial adhesion between natural fibres and matrix will remain the key issue in terms
of overall performance, since it dictates the final properties of the composites. Many studies are
examined, reviewed and highlighted in this review paper regarding the importance of the

5
interface, the influence of various types of surface modifications, different types of matrices
used for the composites, as well as fabrication methods, and the performance of composites.

Pickering et.al(2016)Studied that much research and progress has occurred in recent decades
in the mechanical performance of NFCs. Improvement has occurred due to improved fibre
selection, extraction, treatment and interfacial engineering as well as composite processing.
Study have been focussed on improving strength, stiffness and impact strength including the
effect of moisture and weathering on these properties; long and short term performance was
addressed. NFCs now compare favourably with GFRPs in terms of stiffness and cost; values of
tensile and impact strength are approaching those for GFRFs. The lower densities for NFCs
lead to better comparison for specific properties. Applications of NFCs have extended to
outdoor applications such as automotive exterior underfloor panelling, sports equipment and
marine structures. Further research is still required for improvement of moisture resistance and
fire retardance.

Mittal et.al(2016) Studied that natural fibres filled epoxy composites have great potential for
engineering applications due to their environmental suitability, technical feasibility and
economic viability.. Various researchers used different treatments (including alkaline, silane,
ultrasonic, etc.) and coupling agent (zinc oxide, alumina, nano-clays, tourmaline and cloisite)
for the purpose of improving the performance of natural fibre-epoxy composites However,
alkaline treatment is the most widely used technique for enhancing the mechanical, thermal and
water absorption properties of the natural fibre based epoxy composites. These methods have
been widely employed to improve the incompatibility and poor interfacial adhesion between
the filler and matrix. Natural fibre reinforced epoxy composites with effective mechanical
properties and high durability were developed in the last decade.

Saba et.al(2015). Studied that physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of natural fibre-
reinforced epoxy composite and nanocomposite display better performance for manufacturing
of high-performance automotive and aerospace products and their components. Moreover, it
seems that reinforcing of nano-sized inorganic particles or fillers in epoxy are gaining more
attention from the academicians and industrialists globally for the manufacturing of high-
performance engineering materials.

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Mohanty et.al (2012)studied that Natural fibre composites have potential to replace petroleum-
based structural composites on both a performance and cost basis. Thermoplastics will surpass
thermosets in the 21st century because of their recycling possibility and convenience. Among
all the thermoplastics, polypropylene has attained the largest commercial usage in natural fibre
composite market especially in automotive applications. Alternative processing technologies
for the manufacture of biocomposites with reduced fibre damage and elimination of VOCs will
be necessary for improvement in mechanical properties over current extrusion/injection
molding for natural fibre composite processings. Eco-friendly biodegradable biocomposites
will be the novel materials of the 21st century.Surface modifications of hydrophilic natural fibre
have achieved some degree of success in making a superior interface, but lower cost surface
modification needs to be emphasized for biocomposites to replace glass fibre composites in
many applications in the future

Xue Li et.al(2017) studied that natural fibers have strong polar character which creates
incompatibility with most polymer matrices. Surface treatments, although having a negative
impact on economics, are potentially able to overcome the problem of incompatibility.
Chemical treatments can increase the interface adhesion between the fiber and matrix, and
decrease the water absorption of fibers. Therefore, chemical treatments can be considered in
modifying the properties of natural fibers. Some compounds are known to promote adhesion
by chemically coupling the adhesive to the material, such as sodium hydroxide, silane, acetic
acid, acrylic acid, maleated coupling agents, isocyanates, potassium permanganate, peroxide,
etc. Fiber modifi- cation methods have different efficacy in causing adhesion between the
matrix and the fiber. Yet most chemical treatments have achieved various levels of success in
improving fiber strength, fibre fitness and fibre –matrix adhesion in natural fibre reinforced
composites.

A.K Verma et.al(2016) concluded that low moisture and ash content and high volatiles
content (78%) and calorific values (18 MJ/kg) suggest that SB has good potential for
biofuels production through pyrolysis. SB has less nitrogen and sulfur content than many
other biomass. The empirical formula originated from ultimate analysis data for SB is
CH1.57O0.82N0.005. During heat treatment of SB, main devolatilization occurs in the
temperature range of 200–500 C. The average activation energy calculated from KAS and
OFW methods is 91.64 and 104.43 kJ/mol, respectively. The highest degree of conversion
is found within the temperature range of 250–350 C. The degree of conversion of SB on

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heat treatment computed by using the kinetic parameters of the proposed model is found to
be in good agreement with the experimental conversion data, and the maximum error limit
between the experimental and proposed data on conversion is 8.5%, 6.0%, and 11.6% for 5,
10, and 20 C/min, respectively. It seems that SB has good potential for energy generation
through pyrolysis process.

Varma and Mondal (2016) Studied that low moisture and ash content as well as high-
volatile matter and heating value (18.34 MJ kg−1 ) suggest good potential of WSD(wood
saw dust) for production of bio-oil through pyrolysis. Low nitrogen and no sulfur content
reduce the emissions of toxic gases as compared to fossil fuels. The empirical formula of
WSD originated from ultimate analysis data is CH 1.72O0.76N0.002. Main devolatilization
occurs in the temperature range of 200°C–500°C. The average activation energy of WSD
calculated from KAS and OFW models are 164.24 and 173.41 kJ mol−1 , respectively. The
maximum conversion is found within the temperature range of 275–375°C. Computed
degree of conversion of WSD on heat treatment by using the kinetic parameters of the
proposed model is found to be in good agreement with experimental data. Comparing the
activation energy with different feedstocks, it seems that WSD can be a competitive
feedstock for pyrolysis process.

Fei Yao et.al (2007)studied that Dynamic TG analysis under nitrogen was used to
investigate the thermal decomposition processes of 10 types of natural fibers commonly
used in the polymer composite industry. These fibers included wood, bamboo, agricultural
residue, and bast fibers. Various degradation models including the Kissinger, Friedman,
FlynneWalleOzawa, and modified CoatseRedfern methods were used to determine the
apparent activation energy of these fibers. For most natural fibers approximately 60% of the
thermal decomposition occurred within a temperature range between 215 and 310 C. The
result also showed that an apparent activation energy of 160 to 170 kJ/mol was obtained for
most of the selected fibers throughout the polymer processing temperature range. These
activation energy values allow developing a simplified approach to understand the thermal
decomposition behavior of natural fibers as a function of polymer composite processing.

Motaunga et.al(2015) Found that thermal characteristics of the untreated, acid and alkali
treated sugarcane bagasse have been successfully characterized. FTIR and XRD confirmed
different functionalization on the fibre surface and enhanced crystallinity. The NaOH treated

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sample revealed the highest thermal stability while the acid treated samples showed the
lowest. The activation energy values of NaOH from Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and Kissinger–
Akahira–Sunose were higher than the rest in all degree of conversions studied, while the
acid treated samples showed higher activation energies below 30% mass loss compared to
study untreated SB.

Heitor et.al(2013) evaluated six different types of fibers using TGA, XRD and FTIR
techniques. XRD analysis demonstrated that the samples containing higher content of
crystalline cellulose show higher intensity peaks while the other samples show less
pronounced peaks, especially for the first and second peaks. The lateral order index
calculated for all fibers followed a similar trend of the XRD results, meaning that there was
more packing of the cellulose chains for the samples containing higher crystalline content.
The apparent activation energies calculated from the FWO, Friedman and Kissinger
methods showed similar results for all studied fibers and coincided with the IPDT calculus.
However, the values obtained did no correlate with the crystalline content, as previously
reported in the literature. Though the FWO method resulted in apparent activation energies,
the Criado method was employed and indicated a D type degradation mechanism in the
beginning of the degradation process (for a conversion ratio of up to 0.5) followed by F1
type degradation mechanism for the curaua, jute, ramie and kenaf samples. The sisal and
buriti fibers followed the D degradation mechanism, but with faster degradation in
comparison to the other fibers, which was attributed to the higher extractive content of buriti
and sisal. For 186 Cellulose (2014) 21:177–188 123 this reason, conversion in the 0.7–0.8
range does not show a parallel fit as observed for the other fibers. The results of the
activation energies corroborated with the calculated frequency factor. The XRD and FTIR
results showed similar trends. However, the results of kinetic degradation did not fully agree
with the previous results, which could indicate that E and A kinetic parameters have a
different meaning for vegetable fibers than what is usually presented in the literature.
Finally, information of the individual main cellulosic components only was not sufficient to
elucidate the thermal behavior degradation and the kinetic degradation mechanism of the
studied fibers. In spite of the differences observed using the various techniques, thermal
behavior becomes similar in the fall drop of the onset degradation process. Distinct behavior
was observed in the main degradation process at around 100 C—associated with water

9
volatilization, although low molecular mass components like extractives may degrade at
temperatures around 200 C and promote a more prominent degradation of the vegetal fiber.

Sabrine Hamza et.al(2013) Found that experimental study has led to the determination of
parameters helping to select the most adequate Tunisian plant fibers to found new way for
its valorization and to reinforce composites or to improve their value. For example, fibers
with a high impregnation degree may lead to difficulties when implementing materials based
on hydraulic lime due to the mobilization of an important part of mixing water by fibers. In
Tunisia, the natural fibers composites could partially substitute for timber-wood and wooden
board in buildings area. To reach these applications, our study has established preliminary
data-sheets for three fibers and stipe i.e. alfa (leaves), rush (steams) and palm (leaflets and
stipe). Hygroscopic properties (Moisture content, FSP, impregnation kinetic) were
determinated. Strong differences have been observed (from 35.6% mean for alfa of Kasserin
to 1265% for date palm tree stipe. The impregnation kinetic is quick for all plant fibers. Alfa
of Kasserin presents the highest density (890 kg/m3) while date palm tree stipe presents the
lowest one (220 kg/m3). The analysis of ash content shows rates between 3.6% and 8.2%.
Lignin, holocellulose and extractive contents are comparable to levels reported in literature
on other fibers sources. Thermogravimetry analysis has shown the stability of fibers below
200 ◦C. All these results permit to give better understanding of potentiality use of Tunisian
fibers in future fiber composite production. Further, research will have to be develop on
extractives, and relationship between fibers and resins during composite processing. As an
application for these plant fibers, we investigated the possibility of integrating them as
reinforcement in plaster matrix. Tunisian fibers were found to enhance the flexural strength
of fiberplaster composites in comparison with commercial plant fiber. Various flexural
strength results observed show that fiber-plaster composites strength depends on the
chemical, mechanical and morphological properties of plant fibers

Suryanto et.al(2014) Studied that analysis of MFs structure showed the presence of
primary cell walls, secondary cell walls, fiber lumens, middle lamellae, semi crystalline with
crystalline of 70% and the tensile strength and modulus of MFs are about 452 M Pa and 17
GPa, respectively. Alkali treatment by NaOH 5% for 2 h was able to increase crystallinity,
tensile strength, and elastic modulus of MFs by 74.1%, 497 MPa, and 20.9 GPa,
respectively, and decrease lignin and hemicellulose content. The composition, structure, and

10
properties of the MFs indicated that the MFs were suitable for most high-quality fibrous
applications after pretreatment using alkali.

Rajeshkumar et.al(2015) Conclded that Even if Phoenix Sp. plants do not need particular
attention on cultivating them, the maintenance of the plantations produces a great amount of
waste material.the possibility of a reusing this kind of fibrous material is investigated in
terms of modification of the properties of the fibers by chemical treatment (i.e., alkali) to
improve their behavior. A morphological investigation was performed to evaluate the effect
of the NaOH solution on surface quality. The chemical composition was determined through
FTIR analysis taking into account the effect of different concentration of NaOH in the
solution and the fibers were characterized in terms of mechanical properties. Moreover, X-
ray diffraction analysis was performed to evaluate the variation of crystallinity index in
dependence of the treatment. The results show how the treatment improves the properties of
the Phoenix Sp. fibers and it make them good candidate as novel biodegradable and
environmental friendly reinforcement in fiber reinforced polymer composites

Kommula et.al(2016) extracted napier grass fiber strands from pennisetum purpureum
Schum. by a combined mechanical and water retting process, subsequently subjected to
glacial acetic acid treatment and then characterized by different methods. Scanning electron
micrographs showed that the surface morphology of the fibers became rough after acid
treatment, due to the removal of surface impurities and hemicellulose from the fiber strands.
Results were supported by chemical analysis and FT-IR spectroscopic study. X-ray
diffraction results confirmed that fiber strands had a cellulose I pattern, and, in addition,
after acid treatment they indicated no significant changes in crystalline index and crystallite
size values. The tensile properties of acid-treated fibers were found to be superior to those
of untreated fiber strands. The tensile properties of the fiber strands were found to increase
after acid treatment due to improved fiber structure and to be greatest for 10% acid treatment.
Thermal degradation of the untreated fiber strands started at approximately 220°C, with the
maximum decomposition temperature of 383°C. The thermal stability of the fiber strands
was found to be enhanced on acid treatment. It was observed that acid treatments will
improve the performance properties of Napier grass fiber strands as reinforcement for
composites. Also, the characterization results validate the encouraging usage of Napier grass
fiber for diverse industrial applications

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Mouhoubi et.al (2017) Studied that Alfa fibers are composed of 39% cellulose, 33%
hemicellulose, and 20% lignin). In addition, the X-ray fluorescence showed that the fiber
contains minerals (e.g., SiO2, K2O, CaO ). The alkali treatment of the fibers contributes to
a decrease in the rate of moisture absorption. The maximum decrease of absorbance is
observed after 6 h of treatment. In addition, alkali treatment increases the crystallinity of the
fiber and thus their stiffness.

Materials and Methods

Materials:

Wheat straw fibre –Wheat- Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after
the grain and chaff have been removed.it is easily available and very light weight raw material which
is if used to manufacture polymer composite the will reduces both cost and weight of final product.

1-Wheat straw fibre (WSF)-Wheat straw fibre has been purchased from a local agricultural
farm ,Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh(India) .Moisture content of fibre is 6 – 7 %.The length of the
WSP varied from 7mm to 14mm with 11mm of an average length.WSP were washed with
distilled water to remove undesirable adhered impurities,followed by drying in oven at 72
degree centigrade for 48 hour to remove moisture.

2–Sodium Hydroxide(NaOH) was purchased from M/S Himedia Laboratories Pvt .Limited
,Mumbai, India.

The alkali treatment of the WSP – WSF Was soaked with concentration of 3 % of NaOH
solution at ambient temperature for 2 hours then washed with distilled water to remove the
increase NaOH solution binding to the WSF and dried in an air oven for 48 hour at a temperature
of 72 degree centigrade.

Characterization Techniques

Morphological, mechanical, thermal stability and physical properties of wheat straw fibers was
observed by the following techniques:

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Thermal Kinetics

Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA)

Thermo gravimetric analysis was carried out on a PerkinElmer Pyris 1 TGA under flowing
nitrogen at a constant flow rate of 20mLmin−1.Thesamples (5–10mg)were heated from25 to
600◦C at different heating rates (4, 7, 10 and 13◦Cmin−1).

The degradation kinetics was estimated from the following methods: The Flynn–Wall–Ozawa
method (FWO) is a conversional linear method based on the equation (Kim et al., 2000)

.lnB = c- 1.052(Ea/RT)

Where β is heating rate in Kmin−1,c is a constant, T is temperature in K, Ea is activation energy

in kJmol−1 and R is universal gas constant. The plot of lnβ versus 1/T, obtained from TGA
curves recorded at several heating rates, should be a straight line. The activation energy can be
evaluated from its slope. The second method is Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose which is based on
the equation (Chrissafis, 2008)

Where, α is fraction of conversion (defined as mass loss at respective temperature), A is

preexponential factor and g(α) is algebraic expression for integral methods. From the TGA
curves recorded at different heating rates(β),temperatures(T)were determined at the conversions
˛ at 10–70%. The activation energies were calculated from the slope of the straight lines ln(
β/T2 ) versus 1 /T .

X-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal,
in which the crystalline atoms cause a beam of incident X-ray to diffract into many specific

13
directions. XRD was used to study the crystallinity of the untreated and treated fibers and
composite containing these fibers. The XRD patterns were recorded using a Brucker AXS D8
diffract meter operating with Cu-Kα radiation (λ = 1.5406 Å) at 40 kV and 30 mA in the range
of 2 is 10 to 50o with a scan speed of 0.02°/s. The crystallite size (L) was calculated according
to the Scherer’s equation:

where K is the Scherrer’s constant normally taken as 0.89, is the wavelength of the X-ray
radiation (1.5406 Å for Cu), is the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction
peak in radian and is the Bragg angle.

Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy

Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to qualitatively identify the
chemical bonds present in untreated and chemically treated fibers by producing an infrared
absorption spectrum. Fibers were dried, grounded into fine particles and is mix with the
reference substance (potassium bromide (KBr)) in the fiber/KBr ratio of 1:9, compressed into
pellets, and then analyzed with Nicolet 6700 series FTIR spectrophotometer, Canada. To obtain
FTIR spectra, fibers were analyzed over the wave range from 4000 to 600 cm-1 with a spectrum
resolution of 4 cm-1.

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that produces images
of specimen surface by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. SEM was used to
examine the morphology of the untreated and treated fiber surface as well as the interface
between the fiber and the matrix through a Scan Scanning Electron Microscope model
LEO435VP. Samples were sputter-coated with gold prior to SEM analysis. The samples were
viewed using an acceleration voltage of 10 kV.

Thermo gravimetric analysis

Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) is used to study the thermal stabilities of any substance
at higher temperature. In TGA, the amount and the rate of change in the mass of a material is

14
used to measure as a function of time or temperature under controlled atmosphere. An
EXSTAR TG/DTA 6300 Thermo gravimetric analyzer instrument was used to study the
thermal decomposition behavior of the untreated and treated fibers, pure matrix and
composites. Samples weighing between 8 to10 mg were placed in an alumina pan and tests
were carried out at a heating rate of 10oC/min in programmed temperature range of 50-700oC
under nitrogen atmosphere at flow rate of 200 ml/min.

Result and Discussion

Alkali treatment has improved the thermal stability of fibre because of removal of
amorphous lignin and hemicellulose and increased the activation energy in a significant
manner which also support the findings of SEM imaging and XRD patterns. Increased
roughness and crystallinity will ultimately helpful in improvement of quality of prepared
composites reinforced by this fibre.

Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR)

FTIR of untreated wheat straw fiber

15
 FTIR of 3% NaOH treated wheat straw fibre

(figure-3)

Figure-3 is showing the FTIR spectra of untreated and treated fibers the major difference is
the removal of peak near 1750 cm-1 which is the characteristics of lignin and hemicellulose.
The peak at 3400 cm-1 is because of OH stretching. The peak at 3419 is corresponding to
CH stretching.

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)

Figure-4 is showing the x-ray spectrograph of untreated and treated wheat straw fiber. In
treated fiber is showing more crystalline behavior as compared to untreated one which is
confirmed from the calculation of crystallinity index. Untreated fiber has 47% crystallinity
index while treated fiber has 77% this is because of removal of amorphous hemicellulose
and lignin due to alkali.

16
 (Figure-4)

Scanning Electron Spectroscopy (SEM) –

Figure-5 is showing the SEM images of untreated and 3% alkali treated wheat straw fiber. from
the SEM image of untreated fiber one can observe the various impurities and wax on the surface
and because of treatment of alkali roughness has been created due to removal of lignin which
is favourable in composite manufacture

17
 SEM image of untreated wheat straw fibre

SEM image of 3% NaOH treated wheat straw fibre

(Figure-5)

18
Thermal Kinetics

4
x=0.2
3.5
x=0.3
3
x=0.4
2.5 x=0.5
x=0.6
2
x=0.7
1.5
x=0.8
1 x=0.9

0.5

0
0.0012 0.0013 0.0014 0.0015 0.0016 0.0017 0.0018 0.0019
1/T

FWO of untreated wheat straw

1/T
0.0012 0.0014 0.0016 0.0018
-8.5

-9

-9.5

-10

-10.5

-11

-11.5

-12

KAS of untreated wheat straw fibre

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 4

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
0.0012 0.0013 0.0014 0.0015 0.0016 0.0017 0.0018 0.0019

1/T

FWO of 3% NaOH treated wheat straw fibre

1/T
0.0012 0.0014 0.0016 0.0018
-8.5

x=0.2
-9
x=0.3
-9.5 x=0.4

x=0.5
-10
x=0.6

-10.5 x=0.7
x=0.8
-11
x=0.9

-11.5

-12

KAS of 3% NaOH treated wheat straw

(Figure-6)

20
FWO

S.NO. Conversion FWO slope Activation FWO slope of Activation energy

x of untreated energy treated(3% of treated(3%
fibre NaOH) fibre NaOH) fibre

1 0.2 15594 123.24 16997 134.328

2 0.3 15773 124.6547 17235 136.2089
3 0.4 16084 127.1125 18202 143.8512
4 0.5 16192 127.9661 21012 166.0587
5 0.6 15593 123.2321 19020 150.3159
6 0.7 13050 103.1347 18563 146.7042
7 0.8 9523 75.26067 15105 119.3754
KAS

S.NO. Conversion KAS slope of Activation KAS slope of Activation energy

untreated energy treated(3% of treated(3%
x
fibre NaOH) fibre NaOH) fibre

1 0.2 14493 120.4948 15863 131.885

2 0.3 14641 121.7253 16067 133.581
3 0.4 14927 124.1031 17006 141.3879
4 0.5 14997 124.6851 19788 164.5174
5 0.6 14023 116.5872 17716 147.2908
6 0.7 11663 96.96618 17159 142.6599
7 0.8 8039 66.83625 13642 113.4196

From TGA data of untreated and treated fibre at 5,10,20,40 degree centigrade plots between --
from FWO and KAS were plotted and slope and activation energy values are presented in table
1 and 2it is evident from both the methods that activation energy values are increasing because
of alkali treatment of fibre which ultimately increase the thermal stability of fibre hence
advantageous for composite manufacture.

21
Conclusion

From the above analysis it is clear that alkali treatment has improved the thermal stability of
fibre because of removal of amorphous lignin and hemicellulose and increased the activation
energy in a significant manner which also support the finding s of SEM imaging and XRD
patterns. Increased roughness and crystallinity will ultimately helpful in improvement of
quality of prepared composites reinforced by this fibre.

Work plan for the next semester

In the next semester we are planning to treat the other natural fibers chemically to improve
the morphology and other properties. We will also try some Nano clay material for the
treatment of these fibers and analyses the effect on quality of prepared polymer composites.

References

[1] Agriculture X.L and A. Canada, “Chemical Treatments of Natural Fiber for Use in
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites : A Review Chemical Treatments of Natural Fiber
for Use in Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites : A Review,” no. February, 2007.

[2] Faruk O, A. K. Bledzki, H. Fink, and M. Sain, “Biocomposites reinforced with natural
fibers: 2000–2010,” Prog. Polym. Sci., pp. 2000–2010, 2012.

[3] Hamza.S, H. Saad, B. Charrier, N. Ayed, and F. C. Bouhtoury, “Physico-chemical

characterization of Tunisian plant fibers and its utilization as reinforcement for plaster
based composites,” Ind. Crop. Prod., vol. 49, pp. 357–365, 2013.

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