Physicochemical characterization of natural fibers obtained from seed pods of Ceiba aesculifolia

Characterization of Ceiba aesculifolia (CA) fibers by various techniques is herein reported. The seed pods were collected, and the fibers surrounding the seeds were characterized or treated in an oven at 100 °C prior to characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with a differential scanning calorimeter (TGA-DSC). The SEM micrographs showed that the natural material is comprised of tubes of external diameter of approximately 27 μm and a mean wall thickness of about 0.62 μm. The results also indicated that the tubes begin to decompose at approximately 220 °C.