Microwave Radiation as Alternative to Modify Natural Fibers: Recent Trends and Opportunities – A Review

ABSTRACT

The main difference between microwave (MW) and conventional heating is the way heat is transferred, since the MW energy interacts directly with the material and it can be absorbed, transmitted, or reflected by the surface, while conventional heating proceeds through a conduction transfer heat. Natural fibers (NF) have been modified by MW treatment, and they can be useful in the development of polymeric biocomposites, biofuels, activated carbon and carbon nanostructures. This review summarizes the advances of MW radiation treatments on NF. Additionally, the relationship among the MW reactor design, MW processing conditions (temperature, time treatment, and radiated power) to the dielectric (Tan δ) properties of each fiber component (cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose) was assessed in this paper. Furthermore, an overview of the main morphological and structural changes of NF after MW treatment is presented with the objective of suggesting processing methodologies that will increase the reproducibility data, as well as the functionality, applications and industrial process scale-up of the NF.

摘要

微波 (MW) 与传统加热的主要区别在于热的传递方式, 因为微波能量直接与材料相互作用, 可以被表面吸收, 传输或反射, 而传统加热则通过传导热进行. 天然纤维经微波改性后, 可用于开发高分子生物复合材料, 生物燃料, 活性炭和碳纳米结构. 本文综述了微波辐射治疗NF的研究进展. 此外, 本文还评估了微波反应器设计, 微波处理条件 (温度, 时间处理和辐射功率) 与纤维组分 (纤维素, 木质素和半纤维素) 介电性能 (Tanδ) 之间的关系. 此外, 概述了微波处理后NF的主要形态和结构变化, 目的是提出增加再现性数据的处理方法, 以及NF的功能性, 应用和工业过程放大.

KEYWORDS:

• Natural fibers
• cellulose
• lignocellulosic wastes
• microwave
• dielectric heating

# :

• 关键词: 天然纤维
• 纤维素
• 木质纤维素废物
• 微波
• 介质加热

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) [315878].