The Effects of Chemical Treatments on the Mechanical Properties of Miscanthus X Giganteus Fibre
Keywords:
Miscanthus fibre, Chemical treatments, Mechanical properties, Reinforcing material, tensile strength.Abstract
The various advantages of natural fibres over the synthetic counterparts, the increase in environmental consciousness and the need
for sustainable development have stimulated people’s interest in natural fibres and their industrial applications. However, natural
fibres need chemical modifications in order to overcome their main disadvantages in composites, which are poor compatibility
between fibre and matrix and relative high moisture sorption. This study examined the effects of chemical treatments on the
mechanical properties (tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of miscanthus giganteus fibre as a potential reinforcing material
in polymer industry. Miscanthus fibres were successfully extracted using water retting method and subjected to both mercerization
and acetylation. The mechanical properties of the raw, mercerized, and mercerized plus acetylated fibres were tested. The results
showed that chemical treatments increased the tensile properties of miscanthus fibre. However, the double stage chemical treatment
(mercerization + acetylation) showed better properties compared to mercerization only. The findings of this study revealed that a
modified miscanthus fibre has high tensile properties, hence, a potential good reinforcing material for polymer industries.
