Palm fibers plants

The acetylation treatment decreases the hydrophilic nature of the plant fibers. During the acetylation treatment the hydroxyl groups in the cellulosic fiber are replaced with acetyl functional groups. The decrease in hydrophilicity results in lower moisture intake and stronger interfacial bonding [8]. De Rosa et al. [15] obtained lower water content in acetylated okra fibers compared to untreated ones. Hill and Khalil [72] reported that the acetylation treatment enhanced the bioresistance of coir and oil palm fiber-reinforced polyester composites. 

Kernel cake residue after palm kernel oil extrachon is a good source of livestock feed. The other palm fruit bunch residues fire the boilers to generate steam and electricity for the processing plant. Trunks, fronds and kernel shells have even been used for the production of furniture, building materials (panel board), pulp and paper. Oil palm fiber extracted from the empty fruit bunches (43-65% cellulose and 13-25% hanicellulose) is being tested for production of biocomposites (Shinoj et al 2011). 

The plants, which produce natural fibers, are classified as primary and secondary depending on their utilization. Primary plants are those grown for their fiber content while secondary plants are plants in which the fibers are produced as a by-product. Jute, hemp, kenaf, and sisal are examples of primary plants. Pineapple, oil palm, and coir are examples of secondary plants. 

Faruk et al. [3] classify the plants, which produce natural fibers, into two groups according to their utilization primary and secondary. Primary plants are grown for their fiber, while secondary plants are grown for other causes where the fiber is a byproduct. Primary plants include jute, hemp, kenaf, and sisal, etc. Some conventional examples of secondary plants are pineapple, oil palm and coir. Some novel secondary plant examples include corn, okra, nettle, etc. This chapter is focused on these novel secondary plants, which give fiber as a by-product and have been the subject of limited research endeavor in the literature so far. 

There are several different classifications in terms of plant fibers. While the classification of Nishino [59] includes seven groups as bast (soft) fibers (flax, hemp, jute), leaf (hard) fibers (sisal, abaca, pineapple, etc.), stem fibers (bamboo, banana stalk, corn stalk), fruit fibers (coconut), seed fibers (cotton, baobab, kapok), straw fibers (rice, wheat, corn), and others (seaweeds, palm), that of Faruk et al. [3] has six groups bast fibers (jute, flax, hemp), leaf fibers (abaca, sisal and pineapple), seed fibers (coir, cotton and kapok), core fibers (kenaf, hemp and jute), grass and reed fibers (wheat, corn and rice) and all other types (wood and roots). 

A. Hassan, A. A. Salema, EH. Ani, and A.A. Bakar, A review on oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials. Polym. Compos. 31,2079-2101 (2010). R.R. Franck (Ed.), Bast and Other Plant Fibres, p. 397, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL (2005. A.K. Bledzki, V.E. Sperber, and O. Faruk, Natural and wood fibre reinforcement in polymers, in Rapra Review Reports, Volume 13, pp. 1-144, iSmithers Rapra Publishing (2002). C. Baillie (Ed.), Green Composites Polymer Composites and the Environment, p. 308, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, UK (2004). 

Nonfood uses of most palms include thatching materials, coarse mats, baskets, bags and fibers. Leaflets contain up to 10% - taimins and 15% hard-tans, which can be used for tanning of light leather. Their plant organs or their extracts are used for their traditional medicinal value. 

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