Abstract:
Natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs) are materials of plant origin that have cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in their composition. These materials are abundant in nature and have aroused great interest in various sectors of industry due to their physical and chemical properties. FNLs can be obtained from various sources, such as wood, sugarcane bagasse, rice straw, sisal, and jute, among others. It is of great scientific importance to make studies about the specific characteristics of these materials, thus, the present study aims to study the thermochemical properties and morphological aspect of babassu (Attalea Speciosa) fibers. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were used. Thermogravimetric analyses revealed a three stage mass loss, the main one being the second stage where the fiber loses 69% of mass at a temperature of 382 °C. The FTIR analysis showed similarity with the bands generally found in the literature for natural lignocellulosic fibers. The XRD analysis of the babassu fibers, it was possible to calculate the crystallinity index of the fibers presenting the value of 81.06%. The micrographs obtained by SEM allowed the identification of the babassu fiber surface morphology, observing the presence of surface defects present on the fiber surfaces.