Investigation of a New Natural Cellulosic Fiber Extracted from Beetroot Plant

ABSTRACT

The fundamental aim of this study is to acquaint a novel sustainable cellulosic fiber obtained from beetroot plant for using in composite and textile industries. Natural cellulosic beetroot fibers were extracted from beetroot plant with biological degradation method. In order to determine the fiber properties, chemical, physical, and instrumental tests were carried out for fibers. The surface of samples was scanned using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The elemental composition of fibers was analyzed with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) device. Crystallographic properties of fibers were determined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Thermal degradation behavior of fibers was investigated with thermogravimetric analysis. SEM analyses show that the fibers have a cylindrical morphology and a 284.04-µm diameter. EDX analysis revealed that the fibers have 52.39% carbon and 47.46% oxygen. The XRD analysis indicates that beetroot fiber contains crystallinity index (Crl) of 87% and crystallite size (L) of 3.92 nm. According to the TGA analysis, the major degradation of fibers occurs at a temperature range of 288.09°C to 358.54°C. Mechanical characteristic of fibers was detected with tensile test, which provided information about strength, elongation, Young’s modules, and microfibril angle. The tensile strength, elongation, and Young’s modules of fibers are 50.68 MPa, 7.72%, and 6.56 GPa, respectively. The results show that mechanical behaviors and chemical characteristics of beetroot fibers are compatible with other cellulosic fibers.

摘要

本研究的基本目的是了解从甜菜根植物中获得的用于复合材料和纺织工业的新型可持续纤维素纤维. 采用生物降解法从甜菜根植物中提取天然纤维. 为了确定纤维性能, 对纤维进行了化学、物理和仪器测试. 用扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 扫描样品表面. 用能量色散X射线分析(EDX); 装置分析纤维的元素组成. 用X射线衍射 (XRD) 技术测定了纤维的结晶性能. 用热重分析法研究了纤维的热降解行为. SEM分析表明, 纤维呈圆柱形, 直径为284.04 µm. EDX分析表明, 纤维中碳含量为52.39%, 氧含量为47.46%. XRD分析表明, 甜菜根纤维的结晶度指数 (Crl) 为87%, 晶粒尺寸(L) 为3.92 nm. 根据TGA分析, 纤维的主要降解发生在288.09°C至358.54°C的温度范围内. 通过拉伸试验检测纤维的机械特性, 该试验提供了有关强度、伸长率、杨氏模量和微原丝角的信息. 纤维的抗拉强度、伸长率和杨氏模量分别为50.68MPa、7.72%和6.56GPa. 分别地结果表明, 甜菜根纤维的力学性能和化学特性与其他纤维素纤维一致.

KEYWORDS:

• Beetroot
• cellulosic fiber
• elemental composition
• crystallinity
• thermal stability
• mechanical behaviors
• image processing

关键词:

• 甜菜根
• 纤维素纤维
• 元素组成
• 结晶度
• 热稳定性
• 机械性能

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Highlights

New natural beetroot fiber was characterized in this study.

Fiber diameter was determined by image processing technique from SEM image.

Elemental composition and functional groups were determined.

Mechanical properties, crystallinity index, and thermal behaviour were investigated.