Paper Title
Effects Of Chemical Treatment On The Physical Properties Of Polypropylene (PP)/Kenaf Fiber (KF) Composites

Abstract
Effects of KF chemical treatment on the physical properties of PP/KF composites were studied in this research. Three silane coupling agents such as γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APS), γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxy silane (MRPS), and bγ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane (GPS) were used. Kenaf fiber was alkali treated by NaOH and then was silanization by silane coupling agent of 1wt% concentration in ethanol/de-ionized water (8:2 ratio) solutions. When alkali treating the KF, it was observed that a peak decreased near 1737, 1601 and 1348 cm-1, which suggests a reduction in lignin and hemicellulose among the KF components. We measured also silanization of the silane treated KFs by ATR-FTIR and EDS results. The flexural strength was enhanced in case of silane treated KF. The enhancement of interface adhesion between PP and KF were identified by SEM images of the fractured surface after the tension testes and contact angles. A study on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and low molecular weight (LMW) chemicals which is contained within KF was performed by GC-Mass technique. The heat extraction at several temperatures was used at sample preparation. The GC-mass results indicated the fact that the high temperature was the more effective on VOC and LMW extraction. Index Terms— Kenaf fiber, Chemical treatment, GC-mass technique, Silanization