Abstract:
The treatment of sisal fiber by pozzolanic materials like kaolin and silica-fume
has been explored; however, no study has modeled and optimized the effect
of sisal fiber degradation treatment using calcined bentonite. Therefore, the
present study investigate the effects of treating sisal fiber with different
doses of calcined bentonite, bentonite calcination temperatures, and times
on fiber breaking load, degradation resistance, and water absorption using
the central composite design-response surface method (CCD-RSM). The best
performance of the optimum treated sisal fiber selected from the CCD-RSM
based on the established goal of maximizing breaking load and degradation
resistance with minimum water absorption, it was obtained a calcined bentonite dose of 30.067%, a bentonite calcination temperature of 800°C, and
a calcination time of 179.99 min. Based on these factors, experimentally
found sisal fiber breaking load 12.87 N, degradation resistance 98.44%, and
water absorption 39.05%, all are within the 95% confidence level compared
to the optimum numerical suggested values. Hence, the optimum treated
sisal fiber improved breaking load by 33.37% and degradation resistance by
98%, while it reduced water absorption by 60.95%, compared to raw sisal
fiber. Besides these, the optimum treated sisal fiber exhibits higher surface
roughness and lower porosity than the raw sisal fiber.
