Thermo-mechanical properties of sodium chloride and alkali-treated sugarcane bagasse fibre

Abstract

The experimental characterization of mechanical and thermal properties of treated and raw sugarcane bagasse fibre hasbeen studied. The bagasse fibres are treated with sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions. TheNaOH treated fibres show better structural and thermal properties than other two types. SEM image of alkali-treated fibresreveals that the bundles of fibres are mainly composed of thin parenchyma cell walls. The fibres are joined with each otherwhich improves the mechanical properties. The statistical analysis is also performed using ANOVA one-factor method.From ANOVA, the significant difference between the dependent parameters and the various chemical treatments aredetermined. The results show that the NaCl and NaOH treated fibres significantly improve the mechanical properties andthermal stability.