Study of Treated and in Natural Banana Fibers as a Possible Material for Reinforcement in Polymeric Composites

Abstract

The use of lignocellulosic fibers and their constituents has aroused interest in their application as a raw material in the production of polymers, representing an opportunity to add economic value to industrial waste and to sustainable technological development. This work carried out the study of the banana fiber in natural form and with alkaline treatment, through characterization of the thermal and chemical properties, in order to evaluate the structures and the best ways of using fiber as reinforcement in polymeric materials. Results found showed variations of percentages of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, the main components of banana fiber, when compared to in natural fiber with treated fiber. These effects impacted the physical characteristics of the fiber surface with increasing roughness, which favors the matrix anchoring process. It was also observed for the thermal behavior of the fiber in the matter of treated fiber, with the most severe degradation in the fiber in natural.

Effect of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Different Lignocellulosic Residues to Chitosan/Glycerol Films

“…The importance of determining cellulose at the fibers is that being a polysaccharide made of repeating beta 1,4-glycosidic bonds, it is characterized by having intercalated arrangements of highly ordered (crystalline) and amorphous (disordered) [69]. Thus, the isolation and obtaining of nanocrystals from lignocellulosic fibers depend directly on the proportion of these crystalline regions, as well as the lignin and hemicellulose content, since they interfere in the extraction process, the realization of pretreatment for removal of these components being necessary in many cases [28,31].…”

“…The films with nanoparticles extracted from different fibers were produced by the casting method, according to the methodology proposed by Yassue–Cordeiro et al [31] and de Souza [54]. Chitosan (1.5%, g/100g) dissolved in glacial acetic acid (1.0%, g/100g) and glycerol (0.15%, g/100g) was used as the plasticizing agent.…”

“…In relation to the development of new materials, there is also the growth of technologies using polymers from renewable sources for diverse applications. These materials have been important for the advancement of the sciences, and have several advantages such as being easily obtainable, biocompatible, and biodegradable [30,31]. The choice of material to be used in the formulation of the films is very important, as they will depend on the interactions between the components of the material, which may interfere with the barrier properties, mechanical properties, and the physical aspects of the films [32].…”