INVESTIGATION ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL, MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF EXTRACTED NOVEL PINUS ROXBURGHII FIBER

The adverse environmental effects of synthetic fibers have forced researchers to use natural fibers in composite preparation. Pinus Roxburghii Needles (PRNs) are widely available in the hilly region of Uttarakhand state, India. Utilizing the fiber extracted from PRNs as reinforcement in bio-composite preparation can reduce synthetic fiber and emphasize the use of natural resources. In this study, we extract the Pinus Roxburghii Fibers (PRFs) from PRNs using the water retting method. Their physical, chemical, thermal, and morphological aspects were investigated and reported. The average diameter and density of the extracted PRFs were obtained as 145 +/- 17.36 mu m and 1020 +/- 20.27 kg/m(3), respectively. The chemical analysis revealed that the extracted PRFs contain 58.30% cellulose content. Thermal stability and maximum degradation temperature of the extracted PRFs were assessed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and found to be 225 degrees C and 355.84 degrees C, respectively. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) were used to study the surface morphology and surface roughness of PRFs, respectively. Further, the FTIR analysis of the extracted PRFs confirmed the presence of different functional groups of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The crystallinity index (43.52%) and crystal size (4.03 nm) of the extracted PRFs were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.

Automated summary

Researchers extracted Pinus Roxburghii Fibers (PRFs) from Pinus Roxburghii Needles (PRNs) using water retting method and investigated their physical, chemical, thermal, and morphological aspects. The aim of this study was to reduce the use of synthetic fibers and promote the use of natural fibers in bio-composite preparation to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of synthetic fibers.