Investigation on Physio-chemical and Mechanical Properties of Raw and Alkali-treated Agave americana Fiber

Abstract

This paper aims at introducing new natural fibers for use as fillers in a polymeric matrix enabling production of cost-effective, biodegradable, and lightweight composites for load carrying structures. Agave (Agave americana) leaf fiber, one such kind, is rich in cellulose, relatively inexpensive, and abundantly available. In this study, investigations on extraction of agave leaf fiber are carried out and its physical, chemical, and mechanical properties such as the cross section, length distribution, weight distribution, density, cellulose, hemicellose, lignin, and wax are determined experimentally. Analysis of the tensile force of the fiber, elongation of the fiber, and water absorption of the fiber in load direction and fiber length are also carried out. The effect of alkali treatment on the fiber at varying concentrations, temperature, and holding time are also studied. A scanning electron microscope is used to analyze the morphology of raw and treated fibers.

Influence of Fibre Length on the Wear Behaviour of Chopped Agave americana Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composites

“…The fibre was chopped into 3, 5 and 7 mm long pieces using a sharp scissors. The mechanical properties as well as the chemical properties of the Agave fibre were analysed [11] and the results are shown in Table 1.…”

“…Agaves are succulent plants of a large botanical genus of the same name, belonging to the family Agavaceae [11]. Chiefly Mexican, they occur also in Asia, North America and in central and tropical South America.…”

Newly Isolated <b><i>Penicillium ramulosum</i></b> N1 Is Excellent for Producing Protease-Resistant Acidophilic Xylanase

“…In the current study, low-cost, natural residues that have different hemicellulose contents were employed as the sole carbon source. Among these natural residues, agave and pine sawdust are composed of high amounts of cellulose ( ∼ 45-50%) but low percentages of hemicellulose ( ∼ 25%) [McGinnis et al, 1983;Mylsamy and Rajendran, 2010], and the content of hemicellulose in wheat bran and barley straw is around 30 and 37%, respectively [Brillouet and Mercier, 1981;Sun et al, 2011].…”

Extraction and characterization of Retama monosperma fibers

“…The impact of this industry on the environment was very heavy. Today, natural fibers seem to be an effective solution for the production of fully biodegradable materials for replacing of some synthetic fibers (Belaadi et al, 2013;Mylsamy and Rajendran, 2010). Among the natural fibers, vegetable fibers have many advantages; availability, recyclability, low-cost, ecofriendly, no toxicity, biodegradability, mechanical performance and easy extractability (Bledzki and Gassan, 1999;Reddy and Young, 2005;Béakou et al, 2008).…”