eversvd,+1 (11)

In this work, the effect of heat treatment on the chemical composition of powdered Pentaclethra Macrophylla pod was studied. The Pentaclethra Macrophylla pod was picked from the bush, cleaned manually, soaked and washed with distilled water to further remove dirt particles. The washed pod was sun-dried for about six hours and subsequently oven dried at 110°C for three hours to achieve a constant weight. The dried pods were crushed using locally fabricated machines and sieved, with one sample carbonized and the other left un-carbonized. The carbonized sample was heated to 950°C for three hours under an inert atmosphere in a heat treatment furnace, followed by a 24-hour cooling period. Both carbonized and un-carbonized samples underwent chemical analysis using XRF, FTIR, and proximate analysis. Results indicated that the dominant metallic oxides in the heat-treated pods were alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2), and the heat treatment enhanced the fixed carbon content while reducing moisture and volatile matter. Therefore, Pentaclethra Macrophylla pod could serve as a refractory material and as reinforcement in composite development.