Reliability improvement of hemp based bio-composite by surface modification

The influence of the surface treatments on the performance of the hemp/PP (polypropylene) composite was investigated. The composites were prepared from the fiber modified by the alkalis and the oil under various conditions. The mechanical properties of the composites were measured using the tensile test, and the service time of the composite was assessed under accelerated condition by the stepped isothermal method. The alkaline treatment removed the lignin successfully and resulted in better fibrillation. The oil treatment improved the mechanical properties of the composites and extended the service life time of the composites.     

Analysis of green hemp fibre reinforced composites using bag retting and white rot fungal treatments

The main objective of this project was to investigate two low cost treatment methods, namely bag retting and treatment with white rot fungi, which could be applied to hemp fibre with low environmental impact to improve its interfacial bonding with polypropylene. Wet chemical analysis, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential and single fibre tensile testing were used to characterise the effect of treatment on hemp fibres. It was found that all the treatments increased the tensile strength of composites. White rot fungi Schizophyllum commune (S.com) treated fibre composites had the highest tensile strength of 45 MPa, an increase of 28% compared to composites using untreated fibre.     

Investigation of surface properties of physico-chemically modified natural fibres using inverse gas chromatography

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is a suitable method to determine surface energy of natural fibres when compared to wetting techniques. In the present study, the surface properties of raw and modified lignocellulosic fibres have been investigated by IGC. The fibres chosen for the study were flax, hemp, kenaf, agave, agave hybrid, sisal and pineapple. The treatments used were 4% NaOH and 2% zein. The uniqueness of zein treatment is that it is bio-based and therefore maintains the biodegradable character of the natural fibres. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) were also performed to characterize the surface changes in fibres. The surface properties of fibres are influenced by the chemical composition, crystallinity and morphology of the fibres. Bast fibres exhibited higher surface dispersive energy than leaf fibres. The raw fibres have a predominant basic character, whereas the alkaline treatment makes the fibres more acidic. Both alkaline and zein treatments decrease the dispersive surface energy and the specific free energy of adsorption.     

In vitro starch digestibility and pasting properties of germinated brown rice after hydrothermal treatments

Germinated brown rice (GBR) recently has received renewed attention due to its enhanced nutritional value. Pasting properties and in vitro starch digestibility of GBR were examined before and after hydrothermal treatments. Steeping in water (30 °C, 24 h) raised the moisture content and germination percentage of brown rice. Pasting viscosity was substantially decreased but gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy were decreased only marginally by germination (30 °C, 48 h). However, annealing (50 °C, 24 h) and heat-moisture treatment (100 °C, 1 h at 30% moisture) after germination resulted in increased pasting viscosity and gelatinization temperatures. The hydrothermal treatments, however, induced browning reactions to darken the flour of GBR. The digestibility of starch in brown rice was increased by germination. The contents of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) in the cooked brown rice were 47.3%, 40.8%, and 11.9%, respectively, but changed to 57.7%, 39.1%, and 3.2%, respectively upon germination. The hydrothermal treatments, however, decreased the digestibility of starch in GBR. The heat-moisture treatment decreased the RDS content in GBR near to that of native brown rice. The digestibility and physical properties of brown rice can be controlled by germination and hydrothermal treatments.     

Effect of extrusion treatment on enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat bran

Although, wheat bran is a good source of dietary fibre (DF), it has certain disadvantages due relatively lower levels of soluble DF. Therefore, in the current study, the effect of extrusion treatment on microstructure and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat bran was investigated. Extrusion treatment increased fibre solubility at all process conditions and the screw speed was found to be the most effective parameter. Physicochemical properties of bran were affected from extrusion treatments. While the water-binding capacities of extruded brans were lower than that of non-extruded wheat bran, their water solubilities were higher. Enzymatic hydrolysis increased the soluble DF content of the bran samples as compared to those of respective samples at the beginning of incubation. The results showed that extrusion treatment can be used to disrupt the wheat bran microstructure and thus to increase the soluble fibre content. Enzymatic hydrolysis can also be used for increasing solubility further. The outcomes of this study can be utilized for improving the technological functionality of cereal fibres to develop high fibre ingredients for food applications.     

Comparison of composites made from fungal defibrated hemp with composites of traditional hemp yarn

Aligned epoxy-matrix composites were made from hemp fibres defibrated with the fungi Phlebia radiata Cel 26 and Ceriporiopsis subvermispora previously used for biopulping of wood. The fibres produced by cultivation of P. radiata Cel 26 were more cellulose rich (78%, w/w) than water-retted hemp due to more degradation of pectin and lignin. The defibrated hemp fibres had higher fibre stiffness (88–94 GPa) than the hemp yarn (60 GPa), which the fibre twisting in hemp yarn might explain. Even though mild processing was applied, the obtained fibre strength (643 MPa) was similar to the strength of traditionally produced hemp yarn (677 MPa). The fibre strength and stiffness properties are derived from composite data using the rule of mixtures model. The fibre tensile strength increased linearly with cellulose content to 850 MPa for pure cellulose. The fibre stiffness increased also versus the cellulose content and cellulose crystallinity and reached a value of 125 GPa for pure crystalline cellulose.     

The effect of gelation and curing temperatures on mechanical properties of pultruded kenaf fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites

Process parameters such as gelation and curing temperatures are parameters that influence the pultruded kenaf reinforced vinyl ester composites profile quality and performance. The effect of gelation and curing temperatures on mechanical (tensile, flexural and compression properties) and morphological properties of pultruded kenaf reinforced vinyl ester composites were analyzed. Obtained results indicated that increase of gelation and curing temperatures during the pultrusion process of kenaf reinforced vinyl ester composites influenced the mechanical properties of the composites. When the gelation and curing temperatures were increased, tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus and compressive strength were affected and they were either increased or decreased. The factors that influenced these results include improper curing, excessive curing, water diffusion, and the problems associated with interfacial bonding between fibre and matrices. The optimum values of the tensile strength for gelation and curing temperatures of kenaf pultruded composites were at 100 °C and 140 °C, tensile modulus at 80 °C and 180 °C, flexural strength at 100 ° and 140 °, flexural modulus at 120 ° and 180 °, and compressive strength at 120 °C and 180 °C, respectively. The scanning electron micrographs of tensile fractured samples clearly show that with the increase in gelation temperature, it creates the lumens between matrix and kenaf fibre thus reducing tensile properties whereas increasing the curing temperature caused less fibre pull out and enhanced fibre/matrix interfacial bonding.     

Influence of fibre contents on mechanical and thermal properties of roselle fibre reinforced polyurethane composites

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of fibre content on mechanical and morphological properties and thermal stability of roselle fibres (RFs) reinforced polyurethane (TPU) composites. The RF/TPU composites were prepared at difference fibre contents; 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt% by melt mixed mixer and hot press at 170 °C. Mechanical (tensile, flexural and impact strength) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) properties of RF/TPU composites were measured according to ASTM standard. Obtained results indicated that effect of fibre contents display improved tensile and flexural and impact strength properties. RF/TPU composites show the best mechanical and thermal properties at 40 wt% roselle fibre content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph of fractured tensile sample of the roselle composite revealed good fibre/matrix bonding. TGA showed that RF/TPU with difference fibre contents had improved thermal stability.     

Influence of the growth stage of industrial hemp on chemical and physical properties of the fibres

Fibre damages by the decortication process have to be avoided to achieve high quality of hemp fibres (Cannabis sativa L.) for industrial use. In addition, a well-defined separation of the single fibres by the subsequent degumming process is required. The objective of the present study is to determine the growth stage at which bark and shives can be separated from unretted industrial hemp (variety ‘Kompolti’) with as little fibre damage as possible. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the bark and the molecular weight of fibre cellulose have been analysed to estimate the fibre quality that can be achieved after a degumming process. For this, the fibres have been extracted by a standardised chemical degumming process. The investigations were carried out at nine growth stages of the plants reaching from vegetative stages to senescence. Considering only the mechanical decortication of green dry stems without degumming of the bark, the results reveal that a harvest time at the beginning of seed maturity leads to easier decortication without any effect on the tensile strength of the bast. For decortication of fresh stems including a subsequent degumming process, a harvest after the flowering of the male plants results in fibre losses during decortication and to fibres of reduced fineness.     

Lignin content and briquette quality of different fibre hemp plant types and energy sunflower

Fibre hemp and energy sunflower are potential energy crops for production of solid biomass as renewable energy. The current study estimated (i) the lignin content of fibre hemp and energy sunflower plants grown on different nitrogen treatments and (ii) the quality of the briquettes made from different plant types of fibre hemp (i.e. monoecious and dioecious), energy sunflower and the combination of fibre hemp and energy sunflower. The monoecious and dioecious fibre hemp cultivars (Chameleon, Finola and Santhica-27, USO-31, respectively) and the energy sunflower cultivar Wielkopolski were grown in the experimental field in 2008-2010 on Stagnic Luvisol soil. The plants were grown on N treatments of N0, mineral nitrogen (100 kg N ha⁻¹), cattle slurry (100 kg N ha⁻¹), sewage sludge (100 kg N ha⁻¹) and vetch (100 kg N ha⁻¹). Calorific values (16.6-17.4 MJ kg⁻¹) of briquettes pressed from different materials did not differ significantly and had relatively low sulphur (<0.05%) and chlorine content (0.03-0.37%). Briquettes with higher compactness were made from the sunflower and the dioecious hemp. Dioecious hemp had significantly higher lignin content. The dioecious hemp needs lower GDD values for maturating, its stems lignin content was higher than of monoecious hemp by harvest time and therefore this plant type is more suitable for briquetting in Nordic climatic conditions. Comparison of the different N treatments indicated that application of sewage sludge decreased the emergence and density of the fibre hemp plants and the lignin content per kg of DM.     

Enzyme-modified casein fibers and their potential application in drug delivery

Enzymatic crosslinking of casein fibers was done using Transglutaminase (TGase) to improve the mechanical properties, particularly the stability in aqueous conditions and make them suitable for controlled drug release application. Crosslinking casein with 5 U/g of TGase in the spinning dope for 60 min at 25 °C increased the tenacity and tensile strain of the fibers from 0.40 g/den and 4.2 % to 0.70 g/den and 23.1 %, respectively. The stability of the fibers in water at different pH levels was considerably improved after the enzymatic crosslinking. The SDS-PAGE electrophoresis confirmed that higher molecular weight proteins were formed in TGase-crosslinked fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that TGase treated fibers also had a higher thermal degradation temperature than the non-crosslinked fibers. Crosslinked fibers exhibited delayed and lower rate of drug release from the fibers suggesting their suitability for controlled drug release.     

Effect of sowing date and plant density on the cell morphology of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

A range of papers report a major effect of agronomic procedures on the growth, biomass, fibre yield and fibre quality of hemp. The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of sowing date, seed density and year on histological characteristics of hemp (size of the different layers in the cross section of the stem, area of primary fibre cells and their cell lumen, size of fibre cell wall). It was realised that a higher seed density resulted in a reduction of almost all layers in the cross section of the stem. A similar effect was caused by the drought 1998, whereas the sowing date had almost no influence on the size of the various layers. The area of primary fibre cells was smaller in 1998. Sowing date and seed density did not affect the fibre cell area and area of cell lumen in the way mentioned above during the 2 years of the trial. During this period the size of cell wall was mainly determined by climatic conditions. Higher elongation and higher tensile strength of hemp planted at higher seed density is probably caused by differences in primary cell morphology.     

Experimental studies on the physico-chemical properties of banana fibre from various varieties

Natural cellulosic fibres from various varieties of banana plants such as Red Banana, Nendran, Rasthaly, Morris and Poovan have been extracted manually and the physico-chemical properties of these fibres are investigated. The tensile strength of these fibres varies from 176 MPa to 525 MPa. The untreated fibres have more tensile strength than the treated one. The thermal properties of these fibres are studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Two DSC thermal peaks, one is around 25°C to 180°C and the other is around 155°C to 240°C, are noticed. The tensile strengths have a direct correlation with the area of the lower thermal peak (enthalpy) and activation energy of the DSC, and also with the moisture absorption characteristics. The FTIR shows characteristic bands corresponds to cellulose. The reflections of the X-ray fibre diffraction pattern recorded for the banana fibre have been correlated with the mechanical strength.     

Mechanical properties and hand evaluation of hemp woven fabrics treated with liquid ammonia

The effects of liquid ammonia (L/A) treatment on the mechanical properties and hand of 100 % hemp woven fabrics were investigated by the KES-FB (Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric). Tensile energy and tensile resilience were increased by the L/A treatment. Bending and shearing values such as bending rigidity, bending moment, shear stiffness, shear hysteresis of the L/A treated fabrics were lower than those of the untreated ones. Compressional linearity and compressional energy were decreased while the compressional resilience was increased by the L/A treatment. From the hand evaluation, the primary hand values as well as total hand value of the hemp fabric were markedly increased by the L/A treatment, especially when yarn number was fine. Therefore, L/A treatment was found to be an effective method of improving the flexibility and softness of hemp woven fabrics.     

Effect of pineapple leaf fibre and kenaf fibre treatment on mechanical performance of phenolic hybrid composites

In this work, hybrid composites were fabricated by hand layup method to hybridize treated Pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) and kenaf fibre (KF) in order to achieve superior mechanical properties on untreated hybrid composites. Silane treated PALF/KF phenolic hybrid composites were prepared on various fibre fraction to investigate mechanical properties and compared with untreated PALF/KF phenolic hybrid composites. The effects of silane treatment on hybrid composites were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and found very effective peaks. Effects of treated hybrid composites were morphologically investigated by using scanning electron microscopy images and analysed the tensile results. Treated PALF/KF phenolic hybrid composites enhanced the flexural strength, modulus, impact strength and energy absorption while tensile strength and modulus decreased. The overall performances of 70 % PALF 30 % Kenaf hybrid composites were improved after silane treatment. Silane treatment of fibres improved the mechanical performance of hybrid composites and it can be utilized to produce components for building structure, materials and automobile applications.     

An empirical equation for predicting mechanical property of chemically treated natural fibre using a statistically designed experiment

An empirical equation was developed for single fibre tensile strength for industrial hemp fibres which were subjected to a combination of chemical treatment conditions varying two sets of four different treatment variables (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration, sodium sulphite (Na₂SO₃) concentration, treatment temperature, and digestion time) using partial factorial design. Estimation of tensile strength (TS) for untested combination of treatment factors, prediction of the combination of factors for a target value of fibre TS and sensitivity analysis and tolerance design confirms the validity of the derived empirical model. Such an approach of deriving empirical equation to predict fibre TS would obviously save money, time and use of chemicals and hence would be a very important land mark for industries related to natural fibre polymer composites.     

Impregnation modification of sugar palm fibres with phenol formaldehyde and unsaturated polyester

This study investigated the effects of impregnation modification via vacuum resin impregnation on physical and mechanical properties of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fibres. The fibre was evacuated at a constant impregnation pressure of 1000 mmHg impregnation times (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min) with two different impregnation agents: phenol formaldehyde (PF) and unsaturated polyester (UP). A notable improvement in the physical properties of sugar palm fibres was observed after they were impregnated with PF and UP for 5 min, shown by the reduction of their moisture content (91 % and 89 %, respectively) and water absorption (43 % and 41 %, respectively) compared to the control sample. However, no significant improvement (p≤0.05) in the physical properties of fibre was observed when the impregnation time was extended (from 10 to 25 min) using both impregnation agents. As for the mechanical properties of the fibre, significant improvement was observed after they were impregnated for 5 min. The fibres impregnated with UP resulted in better fibre toughness and improved mechanical properties as shown in their higher tensile strength and elongation at break compared to the fibres impregnated with PF. Both the physical and mechanical properties showed no significant improvement (p≤0.05) after time for impregnation was extended (from 10 to 25 min) using both impregnation agents. Therefore, it can be concluded that the physical and mechanical properties of sugar palm fibre could be enhanced by impregnating the fibre with thermosetting polymer (PF and UP) for 5 min. It was shown that impregnation with unsaturated polyester (UP) showed better improvement than phenol formaldehyde (PF). In addition, this study also concluded that the unsatisfactory enhancement of the properties of sugar palm fibre even after the impregnation time was extended from 10 to 25 min was due to the use of low impregnation pressure of 1000 mmHg.     

Development of superhydrophobic polyester fabrics using alkaline hydrolysis and coating with fluorinated polymers

Alkaline hydrolysis is one of the most classic fiber finishing methods, however, its potential as tuning surface superhydrophobicity in mass scale has not been studied much. In this research, fine roughness was formed on the polyester fiber surfaces by alkaline hydrolysis at room temperature and fluorinated polymer mixtures were further coated. The developed superhydrophobic fabrics were evaluated in terms of structural changes, mechanical properties, surface hydrophobicity, and permeability for practical applications. As alkaline hydrolysis treatment time increased, surface roughness was increased as a lot of nano-craters were generated with the decrease of fabrics weight and tensile strength as well. As air pockets formed through nano-craters on the fiber surfaces, static contact angle increased, and shedding angle tended to decrease. In this study, the sample treated with alkaline hydrolysis for 20 minutes showed the highest static contact angle of 167.8±1.3° and lowest shedding angle of 4.4±2.3°. Considering tensile strength loss, however, the 15-minute alkaline hydrolyzed fabrics which showed static contact angle of 162.2±2.7° and shedding angle of 8.8±0.2° was selected as the optimal condition for practical application. The newly developed superhydrophobic fabrics were found to have higher water vapor and air permeability than those of untreated samples. At the same time, fluoropolymer coating played a certain role for tensile strength and water vapor permeability demonstrating the importance of understanding and designing proper fluorinated-compound treatment processes.     

“闪爆”处理对大麻脱胶及纤维性能的影响

采用“闪爆”新技术来处理大麻纤维，分析了闪爆处理前后大麻纤维脱胶、化学组分和理化性能的变化：结果表明，“闪爆”后的大麻纤维经水洗处理后，纤维素的比率显著增加，木质素等非纤维素成分明显降低，而且脱胶效果理想，大麻纤维的红外光谱闪爆处理以后在1510cm-1处吸收峰和在1736cm-1处吸收峰趋于消失，纤维的上染性能明显改善.     

Surface modification of polyester fabrics by enzyme treatment

In this study, the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis using lipase and cutinase on poly(ethyleneterephthalate) (PET) fabrics was investigated in an attempt to improve the hydrophilicity of these fabrics. The hydrolytic activity of the enzymes was expressed for variations in pH levels, temperatures, enzyme concentrations, and treatment times. The effects of using a nonionic surfactant were examined by measuring moisture regain and surface wettability. Finally, the fabric characteristics that were affected by enzyme treatment were evaluated by tensile strength and scanning electron microscopy. The optimal treatment conditions for lipase were determined to be a pH of 4.2, a temperature of 50 °C, a lipase concentration of 100 %, and a treatment time of 90 min; those for cutinase were determined to be a pH of 9.0, a temperature of 50 °C, a cutinase concentration of 100 %, and a treatment time of 60 min. At optimal enzymatic treatment conditions, we got the significant results of increase on the moisture regain and the water contact angle (WCA) and water absorbency effectively decreased. Triton X-100 facilitated cutinase hydrolysis on PET fabrics; however, it was ineffective for lipase. With enzymatic treatment, the tensile strength did not decrease.