Journal
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
Volume 84, Issue 1, Pages 110-117Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.11.008
Keywords
Vegetable fibers; Inverse gas chromatography; Surface properties; Alkaline treatment
Categories
Funding
- Programa Nacional de Re-equipamento Cientifico [POCI 2010]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Vegetable fibers can be considered as naturally occurring composites, consisting mainly of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. Their properties are significantly affected by many factors such as variety, climate, harvesting and maturity, among others. Thus, prior to their application, the fibers should be properly characterized. In the present study, inverse gas chromatography was used to study the surface properties of several cellulosic fibers and the effect of an alkaline treatment. Dispersive surface energy ranged from 38.41 mJ/m(2) for piassava to 52.39 mJ/m(2) for assai. The studied fibers presented Lewis basic character with a K-b/K-a ratio between 1.27 and 4.00, corresponding to curaua and pita Mexicana, respectively. Based on the obtained linear adsorption isotherms, the surface area and monolayer capacity were higher for piassava. Pita Mexicana appeared to be the most heterogeneous one, with two energetic sites. The alkaline treatment of sisal increased the number of active sites for specific interactions, significantly increasing its basic character. It also increased its surface area, with a consequent decrease in the diffusion coefficient. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available