Jabar, J.M.

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The coir (CCF, called coir fibres), empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel fibres (PKF) were chemically modified using mercerization, alkaline bleaching and acetylation reaction. The influence of these treatments on the physicochemical properties of the fibres was investigated. The chemical modification of these fibres resulted in improvement in ash content, bulk density, and iodine absorption number of the fibres. The moisture content of CCF fibres was reduced by 37.68%, 58.80% and 67.39% when mercerized, alkaline bleached and acetylated respectively. EFB fibres’ moisture content was reduced by 38.54%, 61.46% and 68.82% when mercerized, alkaline bleached and acetylated respectively. Mercerized PKF fibres had moisture content 42.16% less than unmodified fibres. Alkaline bleached and acetylated PKF fibres had moisture content 67.03% and 72.93% respectively less than unmodified fibres. The effect of treatments on pH values of acetylated fibres was observed to be inversely related to that of bulk density. Morphology study showed that the chemically modified fibres had smoother surfaces and wider pore sizes compared to unmodified fibres. Key words: Acetylation; Density; Fibres; Mercerization; Physicochemical