STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN HEMP FIBERS FOLLOWING TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND UV OR GAMMA-RAY RADIATION EXPOSURE

This paper aims at assessing the behavior of hemp fibers when subjected to a hydrothermal treatment (40 degrees C, 60% RH), followed by exposure to UV radiation for 120 and 500 hours or to different doses of gamma-rays (10 and 25 kGy). Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to estimate crystallinity changes. The combined action of temperature, humidity, and UV or gamma-ray radiation resulted in structural changes in the lignocellulosic material, in correlation with the time of exposure to UV or the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation. The resulting data can be useful in heritage conservation for selecting the most appropriate storage or display conditions (temperature, humidity, light) for lignocellulosic textile collections, or in the case of a disinfection treatment that uses ionizing radiations.