Abstract:
Natural Lignocellulosic Fibers (FNLs) are raw materials generally associated with artisanal products. However, numerous studies have been using FNLs in engineering applications whose requirements involve specific properties and sustainability. Specifically, when used as reinforcement in composites, the main microconstituents (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and water content) present in FNL directly affect the properties and processing of the final product. Therefore, the present work quantified the amount of microconstituents in guarumã fibers. In addition, through the density of different layers of the plant stem, the analysis of pycnometry showed a possible difference between the amount of microconstituents from the innermost to the outer layers. Finally, the Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) presented the degradation profile for this fiber. Therefore, the results showed that guaruman fiber has an almost equivalent proportion of cellulose and hemicellulose with higher concentrations of cellulose and lignin inside the guaruman stem.