Comparison of mechanical and interfacial properties of kenaf fiber before and after rice-washed water treatment

Abstract Rice-washed water was used to treat kenaf fiber using a spray coating method. Untreated kenaf fiber was compared with rice-washed water treated kenaf fiber in order to evaluate the treatments effects on mechanical and interfacial properties. The tensile strength and interfacial shear strength of kenaf fiber were improved by the rice-washed water treatment. Differences in the surface morphology of treated and untreated kenaf fiber was observed using FE-SEM photograph. TGA testing indicated that rice-washed water treated kenaf fiber improved the fiber's thermal stability. Static contact angle measurements of wettability demonstrated that the surface treated kenaf fiber was hydrophilic than that of untreated kenaf fiber. This relatively simple and environmentally friendly rice-washed water treatment of Kenaf fibers resulted in improve mechanical and interfacial properties.