Jovan Hilmansyah Rantepadang, Heru Suryanto, Aminnudin, Yanuar Rohmat Aji Pradana, Joseph Selvi Binoj, Jibril Maulana, Rahmad Ikrom Ramadhan
Pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) is a natural material with great potential in various applications. Indonesia is the 3rd largest pineapple producer in the world, reaching 1.39 million tons per year. However, before application, natural fiber always gets chemical treatment so that its properties can be optimized. This study aims to characterize the structure of cellulose fibers from pineapple leaves after being treated with alkalization and (2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-1- yl)oxyl/TEMPO. The method used was the alkalization of pineapple leaf fiber with NaOH with a 6% concentration, then TEMPO treatment with variations concentration (1mM, 2mM, and 3mM), and then dried in an oven. The results of structural analysis using XRD showed that untreated PALF produced 2 main peaks from the diffractogram at diffraction angles of 15.9° and 22.8°. Alkalization and TEMPO treatment caused the fiber to be cleaner from the amorphous content, so the fiber peaks became more clearly visible on the diffractogram. After alkali and TEMPO treatment, 4 main peaks were obtained from the diffractogram at diffraction angles of 15.1°, 16.6°, 22.8°, and 34.4°. Analysis of the crystallinity of PALF after alkalization and TEMPO treatment showed an increase in fiber crystallinity from 76.8% to 85.6% (TEMPO concentration of 3mM). Likewise, the fiber crystalline index increased from 69.8% (Control) to 83.1% (TEMPO concentration of 3mM treatment). The optimum crystallinity and crystalline index were 86.% and 84.6%, respectively, obtained at the TEMPO treatment with a concentration of 2mM. © 2025 Author(s).
Bachelor Program of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65141, Indonesia; Center of Excellence for Cellulose Composite (CECCom), Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Tamilnadu, Kuthambakkam, 602105, India
