Title:Study of Physicochemical, Flammability and Acoustic Properties of Hookeri
raphia Natural from Cameroon
Volume: 6
Issue: 1
Author(s): Jean de Dieu Briand Minsongui Mveh*, Rosane Angélica Ligabue, Sandra Mara Oliveira Einloft and Jeane Estela Ayres de Lima
Affiliation:
- School of Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Keywords:
Raffia hookeri, thermoacoustic, flammability, lightness, natural fiber, chemical composition analysis.
Abstract:
Introduction: The development of new materials is ultimately associated with requirements
such as strength, lightness, low production cost, and raw materials from renewable sources,
seeking to meet the needs, research, and development of new technologies, which value the qualification
of materials from vegetable sources as natural fibers.
Methods: In this context, this study aimed to characterize the main physicochemical properties of
the natural raffia fiber and its flammability and thermo-acoustic characteristics. These characterizations
were performed using several techniques, such as chemical composition analysis, density,
moisture adsorption, SEM-EDS, FTIR, and TGA/DTG.
Results: The results showed that the morphology of the raffia fiber presents a similar shape to the
beehive. The Elemental analysis of the natural fiber of raffia shows that carbon and oxygen contents
are predominant, representing a proportion of more than 90%. Furthermore, the results suggest that
the fiber is composed of lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose, tannin, and extractives, with cellulose in a
proportion of 80%.
Conclusion: TGA presents a profile similar to large parts of untreated vegetable fibers. The acoustic
test showed excellent sound absorption coefficient (α) values at high frequencies, while the flammability
test showed that natural raffia fiber is a good flame retardant.