The chemically treated hemp fibres to reinforce polymers

The effect of different chemical treatments of hemp fibres, carried out by alkali treatment, acetylation and modification with maleic anhydride, on their physical, thermal and chemical properties as well as their surface characteristic was discussed in this paper. The morphology of the fibres was investigated by SEM. Thermal properties were investigated by TGA and DTA methods and the chemical composition of fibres by FT-IR spectroscopy. Chemical modifications resulted in the lowered content of lignin, pectin and hemicellulose, what is especially observable with mercerised fibres. Another effect of the chemical treatment applied is related to the removal of waxy substances from the surface, which was indirectly ascertained by SEM observation, which revealed a relatively smooth hemp fibres surface. TGA results showed that the applied chemical fibre treatment resulted in the lowered thermal degradation of the treated fibres, after the removal of non-cellulose components, especially lignin.