EFFECT OF IONIC LIQUIDS BASED PRETREATMENT OF OIL PALM FRONDS ON THE PROPERTIES OF BIOCOMPOSITES

Ionic liquids (ILs) pretreatment has emerged as the promising technology toward
environmentally benign conversion of lignocellulosic residues into cellulose-rich fiber
as sustainable raw material for biocomposite manufacturing. The principal objective of
the present study was to evaluate the impact of ILs based pretreatment of oil palm
fronds (OPF) residue on the mechanical, thermal and water absorption properties of
the biocomposites. The OPF fiber was pretreated with ILs [bmim][Cl] (1-butyl-3-
methylimidazolium chloride) and [ emim] [ dep] (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl
phosphate) prior to prepare biocomposite board by using compression molding
technique. Mechanical, thermal and water absorption properties of the biocomposites
prepared from ILs treated OPF fibers were investigated and compared with those
fabricated from untreated fiber. To understand the effect of ILs pretreatment on OPF
fiber, lignocellulosic characterization, FTIR, PXRD, FESEM and TGA analysis were
performed. Influence of ILs pretreatment on the thermal degradation kinetics of the
biocomposite panels by employing activation energy approach was also studied.