Composite Fiber Based on Sisal Fiber and Calcium Carbonate

Abstract

The impregnation of a raw sisal fiber in a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide generated a fiber coated by a remarkable quantity of calcium carbonate and calcium oxide. However, some detachments of the inorganic coating were observed at microscopic level, and interstices in the external walls, filled by the precipitated material, were less visible than in raw fiber. Additionally, some fiber components have been removed by the preliminary sodium silicate washing. The final composite exhibited more amorphous characteristics than the original raw fiber, as well as its mechanical behavior was very similar to an elastomeric material with more homogeneous mechanical properties than the original raw fiber.