Thermal modification of <italic>Lantana camara</italic> stalks and its characterization.

This paper deals with value addition and utilization of <italic>Lantana camara</italic>, an invasive species with unprecedented rate of growth, by thermal modification. <italic>Lantana</italic> <italic>camara</italic> stalks were thermally modified using vacuum heat treatment (VHT), oil heat treatment (OHT), and steam heat treatment (SHT) at 180 °C and 200 °C and subsequently changes in physical, chemical and mechanical properties were studied. Weight loss was observed in vacuum and steam heat treated samples due to thermal degradation while oil heat treated samples showed weight gain due to oil uptake. SHT exhibited the highest (19 %) weight loss at 200 °C. The color of the modified lantana attained uniform dark colour, OHT exhibited the most intense effect on colour changes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Fourier transform near infrared (FTNIR) spectroscopic analyses indicated degradation of hemicellulose and change in cellulose crystallinity due to heat treatment. Dimensional stability of thermally modified <italic>Lantana</italic> stalks improved across treatments, with SHT achieving the highest anti-swelling efficiency of 67.3 % at 200 °C and lowest water absorption (43 %) after 72 h of water soaking. The dynamic modulus of elasticity of thermally modified <italic>Lantana</italic> remained constant in all the treatment processes. Overall, the results indicate that thermal modification can increase utilization potential of <italic>L. camara</italic>. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]