Resumen

SARAVANAN, N.  y  SAMPATH, P.S.. Characterization of New Cellulose Fiber from the Molina (Lagenaria Siceraria) Plant. J. appl. res. technol [online]. 2018, vol.16, n.3, pp.204-210. ISSN 2448-6736.

This research explores the extraction and characterization of natural fiber from the agro-waste of Lagenaria siceraria (LS) plant stem (commonly known as bottle guard). The extracted fiber from the waste stems has high cellulose content (79.91 %) with good tensile strength (257-717 MPa) and thermal stability (withstand up to 339.1°C). The huge percentage of crystalline index (92.4%) with the crystalline size (7.2 nm) as well as low density (1.216 g/cm3) of the LS fiber renders their possibility to use as an effective reinforcement material in lightweight eco-friendly composites for various industrial applications.

Palabras llave : Natural fiber; Lagenaria siceraria; TGA analysis; FTIR; XRD; Crystalline index.