Alkaline Treatment on the Chemical and Morphological Properties of Kelempayan (<i>Neolamarckia cadamba</i>) Wood

Alkaline treatment has a function to disrupt hydrogen bonding in network structure and to remove some hemicellulose, lignin and extractives for efficient contact with the matrix when preparing composites. Kelempayan ( Neolamarkia cadamba ) particles were treated using 0.5, 1 and 2% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution at a temperature of 90 °C for 60 minutes periods of immersion. The particles were washed with running tap water to neutralize excess NaOH and oven dried at 80 °C. The treated particles were then grounded to a fine size before being sieved to 60 mesh size of sawdust. Finally, the treated samples were air dried before chemical analysis. The sampling and preparation of sawdust were carried out according to the TAPPI Standard T257 cm - 02 (2002). The changes occurring on Kelempayan’s surface were assessed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Chemical analysis indicated that hemicellulose, lignin and extractives became decreased by increasing alkaline concentration. Morphological analysis showed that treated surface was cleaner and rougher than that of untreated.