The Characterization of Pineapple Leaves Paper by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Universal Testing Machine (UTM): A Review

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Asian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences e-ISSN: 2716-5957 | Vol. 1, No. 4, 58-60, 2020 http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajfas

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The Characterization of Pineapple Leaves Paper by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Universal Testing

Machine (UTM): A Review

Amirul Azan Mohd Sufian¹, Siti Amira Othman^1*

1 Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Pagoh Educational Hub, Panchor, 84600 Pagoh, Muar Johor

*Corresponding Author: [email protected]

Accepted: 1 January 2021 | Published: 15 January 2021

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Abstract: Year by year, deforestation issues were increased dramatically especially in order for production of paper. The supply of paper nowadays is all depends on the wood. This experiment has been conducted to analyses the viability of pineapple leaves paper as replacement for paper production and to analyses the morphology properties of pineapple leaves fiber. The pineapple leaves fiber was undertaking Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Universal Testing Machine (UTM) which was used for observation. Through the observation under Scanning Electron microscope (SEM), the data obtained shows that pineapple leaves fiber was more convenient to be used as alternative for paper making industries because of it have higher fiber content for pulp production. Besides, for Universal Testing Machine (UTM) from the thickness of the pineapple leaves fiber was suitable for paper making. This will give more beneficial to reduce the use of wood for making pulp and one the effort towards green technology.

Keywords: Pineapple Leaves, Paper, Scanning Electron Microscope, Universal Testing Machine

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1. Introduction

This paper aims to investigate the morphological properties and the mechanical characteristics of the pineapple leaves paper by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the thickness of the pineapple leaves paper by using Universal Testing Machine (UTM). SEM was using in order to perform their mechanical testing such as thickness testing, stress testing and grammage testing at the pineapple leaves paper produced. Besides, SEM is much easier to come out with more specific image where the image produced up to micro meter magnification. [1]

This paper aims to investigate the expediency of using SEM and UTM to characterize the mechanical properties of pineapple leaves fiber in paper making and the suitability to make it as paper. The uses of this SEM and UTM is very important in order to get the specific result of their properties and characteristics to ensure that using SEM and UTM is the best way besides of using other testing machine such as Opto-Digital Microscope and Meiji Microscope.

2. Literature Review

Paper is mainly produced from cellulosic fibers where it comes from wood. Wood was used widely as main raw material in global pulp making and paper production. Because of that, the

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higher demand of paper nowadays caused the highly of depletion of forest resources. Therefore, this is very worrying and impacting the environment. [2]

Pineapple Leaves Paper

This paper was aim to test the availability of producing paper by using pineapple leaves as an alternative to wood. Pineapple leaves was categories as non-timber material and the usage of the non- timber material was depending on the countries availability for paper production. This production was existing as an abundance of non-wood lignocellulosic fibers which is act as source of pulp and fewer environmental deterioration risk than wood. Before the exist of this pineapple leaves fiber, there was another type of non-timber material that had been commercialized such as banana fiber and carpet grass. [2]

Characterization by Using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is a type of machine to determine the characteristics and the properties of a material precisely. It had been used worldwide because of the functionality of the machine to determine the microscopic properties like machine behavior such as the hardness, elasticity and the hardness. Besides, it also used to detect the electrical properties such as resistance and chemical properties such as corrosion resistance. For pineapple leaves paper, the roughness of the sample production, the cross-section images of the pineapple leave and the strength of the fiber were observed. [3,5]

Characterization by Using Universal Testing Machine (UTM)

Universal Testing Machine (UTM) is a machine that have widely range of application can used.

UTM can be used to determine the mechanical properties include the tensile strength, compression and the thickness of the material especially for determining the characteristics of pineapple leaves fiber. UTM also normally subjected to external stresses and the large strains due to it has flexibility of material used as a substrate. Besides, the chemical properties were commonly gone through tensile testing. Therefore, UTM is a suitable machine to determine the tensile testing which is the effective way to investigate the mechanical properties of the material as well as they initiate the technique for bulk sample characterization but tensile strength is not easily executed for micro and Nano-structured material because of the small dimension of the specimen produced. [1,4]

3. Research Methodology

Sampling Preparation

For making pineapple leaves paper, pineapple leaves were collected after the fruit was harvested. The pineapple leaves were then separated from their bundle and washed thoroughly with distilled water to remove dirt and soil particle. To avoid injuries while handling the pineapple leaves, the spiky edges of the leaves was cut and then allowed the leaves to dry in an oven at 90°c for 45 minutes. Then, the pineapple leaves were cut into 5 cm long in size. After that, the leaves were soaked in 10%-15% Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) solution at 80°c for another 45 minutes to soften the leaves. Rinse the leaves from excess NaOH solution with distilled water and blended the leaves for about 7-10 minutes to get the fine pulp produced from the leaves.

The pineapple leaves pulp then poured in the mold and movable part called deckle where it in 2/3 of the tub filled with water. After that, the mold was removed from the tub to let the excess drains completely. The dry clothes were used to ensure it completely drains then the paper

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dried under the sun after the mold was removed and waited it to dry for 2-3 days or using heat press at pressure to let it dry.

The characterization of the pineapple leaves paper then was observed by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Universal Testing Machine (UTM). The morphological characteristic and the mechanical properties such as the roughness of the paper, the thickness of the paper and the tensile strength of the fiber produced from the pineapple leaves was observed.

4. Conclusion

The pineapple leaves fiber have higher potential to be commercialized as substitutions of wood fiber. This is shown by the pineapple leaves fiber have almost the same characteristics as wood fiber and can reduce the use of wood fiber in paper making industries and logging issues caused in paper production can be reduced.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) shows the analysis obtained where pineapple leaves fiber have strong fiber structure because of the arrangement of higher fiber content and the structure of the pineapple leaves is more closely packed while Universal Testing Machine (UTM) shows that pineapple leaves fiber has basic properties such as paper and can absorb moisture as the paper and the thickness gain from the observation found that it can be used for paper production. Thus, this will affect the strength and the quality of paper production. The pineapple leaves cross-section have rougher structure and it shows the morphology of presence of lumen at the surrounding of the cell wall of the material. [1,5]

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the Applied Physics Programme, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia for facilities provided and gratefully acknowledgement the financial support a research grant (H074) that make the research possible.

References

[1] Saidin, W., Mustapa, M. S., Ahmad, M. R., Tahar, M. S., & Yusof, Y. (2011). Producing Paper Using Pineapple Leaf Fiber. Advanced Materials Research, 383–390, 3382–3386.

https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.383-390.3382

[2] Sibaly, S., & Jeetah, P. (2017). Production of paper from pineapple leaves. Journal of

Environmental Chemical Engineering, 5(6), 5978–5986.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2017.11.026

[3] Haschke, M., & Boehm, S. (2017). Micro-XRF in Scanning Electron Microscopes.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics (1st ed., Vol. 199). Elsevier Inc.

https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aiep.2017.01.001

[4] Huerta, E., Corona, J. E., Oliva, A. I., Avilés, F., & González-Hernández, J. (2010).

Universal testing machine for mechanical properties of thin materials. Revista Mexicana de Fisica, 56(4), 317–322.

[5] Daud, Z., Zainuri, M., Hatta, M., Sari, A., Kassim, M., & Aripin, A. M. (2013)., (July), 2–

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