Characterization of Novel Natural Fiber from Saccharum Bengalense Grass (Sarkanda)

The exploration of novel natural fibers can contribute to expand their use in possible eco-friendly applications. In the current work, the physicochemical, thermal, tensile and morphological characteristics were tested for the fibers extracted from the stem of Saccharum Bengalense grass (SB). The results showed that fiber possesses good chemical constituents, namely, alpha- cellulose (53.45%), hemicellulose (31.45%) with lower lignin (11.7%) as confirmed from chemical analysis, its presence confirmed from Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Due to the presence of considerable chemical constituents, SB fibers showed good crystallinity index and tensile strength as confirmed from X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and tensile test. Thermal stability was found using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), it revealed the SB fibers showed maximum degradation at 336 degrees C and the char residue was 16.4%. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to study the morphological characteristics. Thus, SB fibers could be used as reinforcement in natural fiber-based polymer composites. This fiber utilization in composites may be suggested in potential applications like roofing sheets, bricks, door panels, furniture panels, interior paneling, storage tanks, pipelines, etc.