Areca catechu or areca palm is a species of the palm family. It is commonly grown in tropical regions. Areca nut is an important cash crop that is grown in India, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and other Asian countries mainly for their seeds-nuts. India is the highest producer of areca nut in the world – accounts for more than 50 percent of world production.
The leaf sheath consists of many constituent materials like cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin, etc. Long-staple fibers can be extracted from areca nut leaf sheath by alkali treatment.
Fibre Properties –
Chemical composition of fiber
Being lignocellulosic fiber, areca nut leaf sheath fiber contains three basic chemical components, that is, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. It is observed that areca nut leaf sheath fiber contains 56.8 percent cellulose, 22.4 percent hemicelluloses, and 6.3 percent lignin, respectively.
Crystallinity index and microfibrillar angle –
It is observed that the crystallinity index and microfibrillar angle of areca nut leaf sheath fiber are 56.5 percent and 35.2o, respectively.
The moisture content of fiber –
It is observed that the moisture content of areca nut leaf sheath fiber is 11.9 percent.
Fiber length and diameter –
Areca nut leaf sheath length is around 1-1.5m long. The individual fibers lie continuously along the length of the sheath. The extracted fiber length depends on the chopped length of the areca nut leaf sheath during the fiber extraction process. The maximum fiber length will be the same as leaf sheath. Bundle and single fiber strength
The bundle strength of areca nut leaf sheath fiber is 18.8 g/tex at 5 cm gauge length. The single fiber tensile strength, initial modulus, and elongation at break are 400 MPa, 11.8 GPa, and 8 percent, respectively.
Source –
https://www.google.com/search?q=areca+palm+leaf+plates&client=firefox-b-d&tbm=nws&sxsrf=AOaemvI4GGFs2wIHkfgKZkFEeZFNReE89g:1634708640345&ei=oKxvYYWnFMn0rAGoo7iQDA&start=10&sa=N&ved=2ahUKEwiF98WepNjzAhVJOisKHagRDsIQ8tMDegQIARA3&biw=1536&bih=696&dpr=1.25