Enhancement of Water Hyacinth Fibre Quality through Sodium Hydroxide Treatment: Part 2.

ABSTRACT: The water hyacinth fibre plant (Part II) was carried out using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution to improve the quality of the results of the untreated fibre (Part I). The same methods of investigations and tests carried out on the untreated water hyacinth fibre samples were applied to the alkali-treated fibre. The application of the alkali-treatment was done using dilutions of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 % NaOH. The treatment of the water hyacinth fibres at 10 % sodium hydroxide was optimum and amorphous with no defined peaks. The basic characteristics of the water hyacinth fibres such as physical and mechanical properties were improved, confirming the effectiveness of the treatment method. The morphology and structural characteristics after treatment showed significant improvement when compared to the untreated water hyacinth fibres. This was due to the removal of the impurities in the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. The thermal decomposition process and functional groups of the water hyacinth fibres after treatment have distinct derivative thermogravimetry peak (cellulose) and a high-temperature tail (lignin), and the functional group change of each treatment, respectively.