Characterization of untreated and alkali treated new cellulosic fiber from an Areca palm leaf stalk as potential reinforcement in polymer composites

The research article addresses, a new natural fibers namely Areca Palm Leaf Stalk Fibers (APLSF) were extracted from an Areca palm tree (Dypsis lutescens) and subjected to various concentrations of alkali treatment (NaOH) such as 5%, 10% and 15% by weight. The effects of this treatment on various properties of the fibers such as physical, chemical and mechanical properties were studied. However, the density of the fibers increased and diameter of the fibers reduced. The chemical result showed that the cellulose content was increased while hemicellulose, lignin, wax and ash contents were reduced. The chemical functional groups present in the fibers were confirmed by FTIR. The 5% alkali treated APLSF exhibited a highest tensile strength of 486.41 ± 35.57 MPa, tensile modulus of 9.89 ± 1.46 GPa and elongation at break of 4.91 ± 1.82%. The surface morphology, surface roughness and thermal stability of fibers were examined by SEM, AFM and TGA/DTG.