Characteristic of abaca (Musa textilis) fiber from Aceh Timur as bioplastic

Abstract

The aim of this paper is introducing new natural fibers for use as fillers in a polymeric matrix enabling production of cost-effective, biodegradable, and lightweight composites for load carrying structures. Abaca (Musa textilis) fiber, one such kind, is rich in cellulose relatively inexpensive, and abundantly available. In this study, investigations on the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of abaca fiber are carried out, such as the density, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are determined experimentally. Analysis of the tensile force of the fiber, elongation of the fiber, and water absorption of the fiber in load direction and fiber length are also carried out. The data of chemical and physical analysis showedthe abaca fiber has high cellulose (66.43%), hemicellulose (24.7%), lignin (13.6%) and low water content (0.7%), that results caused the fiber has high value of mechanical property with tensile strength up to 308,7 MPa. The FTIR spectra showed the presence of several functional groups that can be found in lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The surface microphotograph showed the fiber has micron size and curled shape. The DSC thermal analysis was performed to determine the thermal property of abaca fiber also to determine its suitability as bioplastic.