Authors : M.J.M. Ridzuan, M.S. Abdul Majid, M. Afendi, M.N. Rahman and Y.K. Azduwin
Abstract: The effect of alkali treatment on thermal, composition and morphological of Napier grass fibre were investigated. The fibres were treated with 5, 10 and 15% sodium hydroxide wt% concentration for 24 h. The fibres were subjected to Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The moisture content of the treated fibres decreased as the concentration of the alkali increased. The FTIR shows that the composition of Napier grass fibre has change with increase of alkali concentration. The morphological observation demonstrated that as the alkali concentration increased, the fibre becomes more compressed due to collapse the cellular/lumen structure and the void content decreased.
M.J.M. Ridzuan, M.S. Abdul Majid, M. Afendi, M.N. Rahman and Y.K. Azduwin, 2016. Thermal, Composition and Morphological Properties of Untreated and Alkali-Treated Napier Grass Fibres. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 11: 2485-2489.