Patauá is very little studied palm tree of the Amazonia that shows lignocellulosic fibers covering the seed that can be easily removed. This work aimed to determine some properties of the patauá mesocarp fibers in the raw and alkali treated conditions for biomaterial applications. The wastes from the depulping of the patauá were obtained in commercial establishments at Macapá-Amapá-Brazil. The fibers were manually removed from the seeds. One portion of 10 g of fibers was treated by immersion in 1000 mL of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) aqueous solution at 5% kept at 100 °C for 1 h and under mechanical stirring. The following characterizations were performed: fiber length; scanning electron microscopy; width measurement; and basic density. The patauá mesocarp fibers are actually fiber bundles with erosions in the cell wall blocked by protrusions. They are suitable for large-scale production in both raw and alkali treated conditions. The improvements achieved by alkali treatment includes unblocking of superficial erosions, decrease of the width, length and basic density of the fibrous units, and increase of crystalline index. Individualization of fiber cells was not completed by the alkali treatment proposed in this work.
Fruits of Byrsonima crassifolia (Malpighiaceae) are reported for the first time as hosts of Bactrocera carambolae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Brazil.
Background: Patauá (Oenocarpus bataua Mart.) is a palm tree belonging to the botanical family Arecaceae that occurs throughout the Amazon. Like açaí, an edible pulp is extracted from its fruits, remaining a fiber-rich waste. Revealing the potential of such raw or thermochemically modified fibers for producing bioproducts is a novelty in the literature. Therefore, this work aimed to characterize patauá fibers in natural and alkali-treated conditions to support future bioproduct applications. Alkaline treatments were performed under mechanical stirring combining two NaOH levels (5 and 10%) and two temperatures (80 and 100°C). Morphological characterization was performed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The contents of the structural and non-structural chemical components were determined, and chemical groups were evaluated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The physical characterization included moisture content, apparent density, and water absorption tests. Results:The macerate revealed short fibers with typical elongated morphology, mean cell wall thickness (4.10 µm) greater than the mean lumen width (3.01 µm), and mean length of 445 µm. The alkaline treatments partially individualized the fibers from bundles, cleaned extractives from the surface, and unblocked superficial pits by removing silica-rich structures. They substantially removed non-cellulosic components, but FTIR showed condensed lignin exposed on the fiber surface. Density and water uptake increased concerning natural fibers. Patauá's short length and susceptibility to modification through thermochemical treatments that concentrated cellulose up to 50% indicated great potential for developing composites and nanofibers. Regardless of the NaOH content, 100°C was more efficient in concentrating cellulose. Conclusion:Patauá fibers have unique natural characteristics. They occur as flatted fiber bundles, have silicon-rich structures obstructing their superficial pits, and comprise more lignin than cellulose.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.