Characterization of a novel natural cellulosic fiber from Juncus effusus L.

This study aims to assess the morphology and properties of fibers extracted from a wild natural plant largely available in Algeria known as Juncus effusus L (JE). The morphology and diameter of the fiber bundles extracted from the stem of the JE plant were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The functional groups of the extracted lignocellulosic JE fibers were studied by FTIR, their thermal degradation behavior was investigated by TGA and their crystallinity was determined using Xray diffraction technique. In addition, mechanical characterization was carried out using tensile tests on the lignocellulosic fiber in order to evaluate their strength, strain at break and Young's modulus. In view of the dispersion in the obtained experimental results, the latter were analyzed using the Weibull statistical laws with two and three parameters. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.