Characterization of natural cellulosic fiber from bark of Albizia amara

Abstract

The present investigation aimed to understand the physicochemical properties of new natural fiber extracted from Albizia amara (AA) bark. The chemical composition and structural, thermal, and tensile properties of AA fibers (AAFs) were investigated. The results indicated that AAF had crystallinity index of 63.78%, cellulose of 64.54 wt%, hemicellulose of 14.32 wt%, lignin of 15.61 wt%, and low density of 1043 kg/m3. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that AAFs were thermally stable up to 330.6°C and the functional groups of the AAFs were identified by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The AAFs exhibited tensile strength of 640 ± 13.4 MPa with strain rate of 1.57 ± 0.04%. This investigation reveals that AAFs could be a suitable material as reinforce agent in natural fiber–polymer composites for different applications.

Keywords

• albizia amara
• chemical compositions
• x-ray diffraction
• thermogravimetric analysis
• tensile strength