Physico-Mechanical, Chemical Composition, Thermal Degradation and Crystallinity of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch, Kenaf and Polypropylene Fibres: A Comparatives Study

Abstract

The physico-mechanical and chemical properties of enzyme retting kenaf and shredded empty fruit bunch of oil palm fibres (EFB) were analyzed by chemical extraction, microscopic, spectroscopic, thermal and X-ray diffraction method. Polypropylene (PP), a petroleum based fibre, was also included to compare the properties of synthetic fibre with natural fibres. Chemical extraction analysis showed that cellulose was the major component in both kenaf and EFB fibres which are 54% and 41.34%, respectively. Silica content of EFB was 5.29% higher than kenaf that was 2.21%. The result of thermogravimetric analysis showed that kenaf has higher thermal decomposition rate compared to EFB fibre. However, the residue for EFB fibre was higher than kenaf due to higher content in inorganic materials. The residual content of PP fibre was only 1.13% which was lower than the natural fibre. The diameter of EFB fibre bundle was 341.7 µm that was three times higher than kenaf. Microscopy study demonstrated that EFB surface was rough, porous and embedded with silica while kenaf showed smooth surface with small pith. Higher porosity in EFB was due to the lower fibre density that was 1.5 kg/cm 3 compared to kenaf that was 1.62 kg/cm 3. Kenaf has illustrated significant higher tensile strength (426.4 MPa) than EFB (150 MPa) and this result is in parallel to the pattern of the crystalline value for both fibres, 65% and 50.58%, respectively.

Recovery of value‐added glycopeptides from edible bird's nest (EBN) co‐products: enzymatic hydrolysis, physicochemical characteristics and bioactivity

“…The vibrational spectra were collected and analysed using Essential FTIR® 1.1.0.0 software (Madison, WI, USA). 20 Antioxidant activities of EBN and its hydrolysates DPPH free radical scavenging activity Free radical scavenging activity of all the EBN samples was determined according to the scavenging ability of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals as described by Lim et al 19 Samples (0.5 mL) at a concentration of 1.0 g L −1 were mixed with 0.5 mL of 0.05 mmol L -1 methanolic DPPH solution. The mixture was left in the dark for 30 min and the absorbance was measured at 517 nm using a microplate spectrophotometer.…”

Comparison of Regenerated Cellulose Membrane Coagulated in Sulphate Based Coagulant

“…Cellulose is readily available and renewable material which are convenient to be used in products for daily life. Cellulose is considered a very unique material because of its complexity (Anuar et al, 2018). It consists of D-glucose units which are linked together at the β (1-4) glycosidic bond.…”

Pulp and paper production from oil palm empty fruit bunches: A current direction in Malaysia

“…Pulp making process begins with raw material preparation and handling. The raw materials have to be grinded mechanically into a standard shape that is appropriate for pulping (Anuar et al, 2018). If the raw material of the pulp is made from wood, the wood logs are first tumbled in drums, a process called debarking to remove the bark (Bajpai, 2010).…”

“…The papermaking technology has changed significantly over the past few years due to the utilization of EFB as the raw fibre substituting the wood-based materials. There are three components, namely cellulose fibres, lignin, and hemicelluloses that have to be processed as the EFB fibre for paper production (Anuar et al, 2018). The quality of EFB-based paper was constantly developed and high-quality paper can be produced from the raw material.…”

“…Since Malaysia is the second largest oil palm producer in the world, it contributes to the Malaysian's Gross National Income (GNI) which has a vast amount of biomass products. The oil palm industry in Malaysia accounted for approximately 8 % of GNI, creating one of the significant contributors to the country (Anuar et al, 2018). Malaysian's oil palm industry experienced a slight decline in export value and oil palm-based products due to the imminent threat of palm oil-based biodiesel by the European Union which caused low demand and oversupply (Kushairi et al, 2019).…”