Effects of Liquid Smoke on the Chemical Composition and Thermal Properties of Sago Fiber

Abstract

The chemical composition and thermal properties of sago fiber, as processed via liquid smoke treatment, were analyzed in the current study, which is divided into two steps: fiber treatment and chemical property analysis. In the first stage, groups of sago fiber were immersed in the liquid smoke solution for one, two, three, four, and five hours prior to one-hour of drying, while untreated sago fiber was kept as the control specimen. After immersion, each group of sago fiber specimen was identified through SEM-EDS, which indicated that the effect of liquid smoke treatment resulted from escalated thermal stability as well as activation energy (from 213.4 °C and 67.02 kJ/mol to 220.6 °C and 73.43 kJ/mol, respectively). Additionally, a statistical approach depicted improved chemical properties of the treated sago fiber and confirmed the applicability of liquid smoke immersion as an appropriate treatment for sago fiber, prior to their application as reinforced composites.