Periquiteira (Cochlospermum orinocense): A Promising Amazon Fiber for Application in Composite Materials

Abstract

Natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) have in recent decades appeared as sustainable reinforcement alternatives to replace synthetic fibers in polymer composite material applications. In this work, for the first time, the periquiteira (Cochlospermum orinocense), a lesser known NLF from the Amazon region, was analyzed for its density and, by X-ray diffraction (XRD), to calculate the crystallinity index as well as the microfibrillar angle (MFA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron analysis (SEM) and tensile strength. The apparent density found for the periquiteira fiber was 0.43 g/cm3, one of the NLF’s lowest. XRD analysis indicated a crystallinity index of 70.49% and MFA of 7.32°. The TGA disclosed thermal stability up to 250 °C. The FTIR analysis indicated the presence of functional groups characteristic of NLFs. The SEM morphological analysis revealed that the periquiteira fiber presents fine bundles of fibrils and a rough surface throughout its entire length. The average strength value of the periquiteira fiber was found as 178 MPa. These preliminary results indicate that the periquiteira fiber has the potential to be used as a reinforcing agent in polymeric matrices and can generate a lightweight composite with excellent mechanical properties that can be used in various industrial sectors.

Influence of Glycerol and SISAL Microfiber Contents on the Thermal and Tensile Properties of Thermoplastic Starch Composites

“…The event between 240 and 480 • C was attributed to starch and cellulose decomposition. The samples CS-5 and CS-6 exhibited a more pronounced mass loss in the interval between 130 and 300 • C. This characteristic of thermal decomposition has been attributed to three factors: (a) the elimination of glycerol, which has a higher content in these samples; (b) the glycerol also acts by reducing the interaction between the starch chains associated with it; and (c) thermal decomposition of cellulose [4,38,51]. Figure 5 displays the TG and DTG curves for the composite films.…”

“…Figure 2 shows the spectra for fibers without treatment, fibers with alkaline treatment and bleaching, and TPS films with the three amounts of glycerol. The FTIR spectrum for the untreated fibers revealed the presence of a band around 3330 cm −1 , which occurs due to the presence of OH groups of polysaccharides [38]. The bands observed in the range from 2990 to 2820 cm −1 are attributed to C-H bonds that exist in lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose [39].…”

Amazon Natural Fibers for Application in Engineering Composites and Sustainable Actions: A Review

“…So far, it is known that the fiber is extracted from the inner bark of the fruit and is commonly used in rope manufacturing. The only studies found in the literature on the properties of periquiteira fibers are the works of [258,259]. The study conducted by Silva et al [258] was the first to analyze the properties of periquiteira fibers, including the composition of lignocellulosic components and mechanical properties through tensile tests.…”

“…The only studies found in the literature on the properties of periquiteira fibers are the works of [259,260]. The study conducted by Silva et al [259] was the first to analyze the properties of periquiteira fibers, including the composition of lignocellulosic components and mechanical properties through tensile tests. The results of this study are presented in Table 10.…”

“…The results of this study are presented in Table 10. Based on the original results obtained by Silva et al [259], the recently published paper by Pinheiro et al [260] continued to map the knowledge about periquiteira fiber, bringing other fiber information such as density, crystallinity, microfibril angle, thermal stability, and tensile properties as a function of fiber diameter. As illustrated in Figure 17, the authors manually extracted the fiber from the plant's bark.…”