Comparison of Alkali Concentration to Enhance Utilizability of Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fibers for Possible Textile Applications

Theobjective of the present research was to investigate the efficiency of alkalitreatment in degumming of banana fibers. The fibers were exposed to alkaliaqueous solutions at different concentrations changing from 5 to 20 wt%. Theefficiency of the alkali treatments was analyzed with the help of opticalobservations, fiber diameter measurement, single fiber tensile test anddetermination of pectin component. The chemical, crystalline, thermal andmorphological properties of the fibers were also examined. FTIR analyses provedthe removal of non-cellulosic components such as hemicellulose and lignin afteralkali treatment. Fiber diameter decreased with increasing alkaliconcentration. Tensile properties and crystallinity index are correlated withalkali concentration. However, the cellulose structure of the banana fiber wasaltered with alkali treatments at 15 and 20 wt% concentrations. Microscopicobservations revealed the appearance of single elementary fibers from the fiberbundle of the banana. These experimental findings suggested that alkalitreatment can play a promising role to prepare lignocellulosic fibers fortextile applications.