Characterization of Ubuçu (Manicaria Saccifera) Natural Fiber Mat

Abstract

Ubuçu (Manicaria saccifera) is a natural palm found in the Brazilian Amazon estuary. This palm has its fruits protected by a fibrous sac, called tururi, from where a natural mat like material can be extracted. Although the ubuçu palm has local economic importance, the physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of its fibers have not yet been reported. In this work, in natura tururi fibers were analyzed by thermal analysis (TGA), X-rays diffraction, FT-IR and DSC. The morphology of the fibers was characterized through SEM/EDS, and the tensile breaking load of the fibers' natural mat was also determined. The results show that the fibers have a crystalline index of 60.6%, and are thermally stable up to approximately 264°C. The activati°n energy of the main thermal degradation process was found to be 180.2 kJ/mol. Silica rich protrusions were identified at the fibers surface and the fibrous mat has and apparent density of 0.97 g/cm³, and a tensile breaking load of 432 N.