Effect of chemical treatments on properties of green coconut fiber

Green coconut fiber, a lignocellulosic material native from Brazilian northeast coast, was chemically treated by three methods: NaOCl, NaOCl/NaOH or H2O2. The effect of these treatments on the structure, composition and properties of fibers was studied using SEM, FTIR, XPS, TGA and other analyses. SEM showed that treatment with H2O2 is the most efficient in terms of waxy and fatty acid residues removal but it does not modify the surface chemical composition, that it can be seen by FTIR and wettability results. The chemical composition and FTIR analyses revealed a reduction of the hemicelluloses content in the fibers treated with NaOCl/NaOH and, consequently, this fiber showed a greater exposure of cellulose and a reduction in thermal stability. The fiber surface treated with NaOCl is morphologically similar to the natural fiber surface, have the element Cl on your surface and it is a little more hydrophilic than the natural fiber.