Abstract
Date Palm Fiber (DPF) is one of the most available natural fibers in the Middle East, especially in Iran and the Persian Gulf region. This research provides a new insight into DPF, with consideration of morphological, chemical characteristics, and bulk density, as well as morphological and mechanical properties of DPF/HDPE wood plastic composite. There are three parts of date palm that are used for producing fiber, the trunk, rachis, and petiole. Results indicated that there is significant difference between trunk and petiole on fiber length but rachis has no significant differences relative to the other parts. The aspect ratios have significant differences among of three parts, with the highest and lowest values measured for the petiole and trunk, respectively. The chemical composition of various parts of the date palm tree differed significantly; with the highest amounts of cellulose and lignin content belong to rachis. Bulk density was measured for three parts of date palm, and the lowest amount was 0.082 g/cm3. The highest strengths were achieved in composites with 30 and 40% fiber content, depended on which original parts of the tree were used.Download PDF