Chemical characterization of the fiber of the stem of the babassu palm tree natural and after treatment

Abstract

In this work the chemical characterization of the fiber removed from the stem of the babassu palm was proposed. Studies on the effect of the surface chemical treatment and the content of the main chemical components present were also carried out. After obtaining the babassu fiber in natural and mercerized form, the samples were submitted to FTIR, SEM, XDR, and TG / DTG analyzes. The results showed the efficiency of the chemical treatment process used, revealing that the babassu fiber presented a better physicochemical properties. The partial removal of the amorphous components contributed to the improvement of the mechanical and thermal properties. After extracting the major lignocellulosic components, babassu fiber also revealed a high percentage of crystalline material in its composition.