Characterization of Natural Cellulose Fiber from the Barks of <i>Vachellia farnesiana</i>
R. Vijay, Jafrey Daniel James D, S M Gowtham, S. Harikrishnan, B. Chandru, Mohana Krishnan Amarnath, Anish Khan
Abstract
The need for environmental friendly materials have stimulated researchers to carry out works in natural fibers, which are substitute for human-made synthetic fibers in many lightweight medium load applications. In the present work, Vachellia farnesiana fiber was selected as a natural fiber. The obtained Vachellia farnesiana fibers were characterized for physical and chemical properties, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and, tensile strength. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to capture its morphological characteristics. The outcome of the chemical analysis showed the weight percentage of ɑ-cellulose, hemicellulose, moisture content, wax, density and the same was confirmed by the output of the FTIR test. XRD test results showed that Vachellia farnesiana fiber had a crystallinity index of 13% and a crystal size of 31.89 nm. Thermal analysis showed a char residue of 28.71%.