Refining of Banana Fiber for Load Bearing Application through Emulsion Treatment and Its Comparison with Other Traditional Methods

ABSTRACT

Following their mechanical extraction, the fibers coming from the banana pseudo-stem are coarse and the inter fiber cohesive substances need to be removed before their transformation into textile yarns/technical textiles. To reach this objective, dry-coarse banana fibers previously extracted using compressive rollers are treated using an oil-water-based emulsion. Various properties such as mechanical properties, thermal properties, surface morphology, chemical structure, crystallinity, color value, and moisture content of the banana fibers extracted through emulsion treatment have been evaluated and are compared with those of untreated banana fibers, and the fibers extracted through acetic acid treatment and alkali treatment, respectively. It is observed that the banana fibers extracted through oil/water emulsion treatment show higher crystallinity, tensile properties, thermal stability, moisture content, and brightness than that of untreated fibers and the fibers extracted through other treatments. Following oil-water emulsion treatment, the banana fibers possess suitable properties for recyclable thermoplastic composite manufacturing with technical-grade polymers, such as PP or PLA.

摘要

机械萃取后，香蕉假茎中的纤维较粗，在转化为纺织纱线/工业用纺织品之前，需要去除纤维间的粘合物质. 为了达到这一目的，以前使用压辊提取的干粗香蕉纤维使用油水基乳液进行处理. 对经乳液处理后的香蕉纤维的力学性能、热性能、表面形貌、化学结构、结晶度、色值和含水率等性能进行了评价，并与未经乳液处理的香蕉纤维进行了比较，分别采用醋酸处理和碱处理提取纤维. 结果表明，经油/水乳液处理后的香蕉纤维的结晶度、拉伸性能、热稳定性、含水量和白度均高于未经处理的香蕉纤维和其它处理后的香蕉纤维. 经过油-水乳液处理后，香蕉纤维具有适用于可回收热塑性复合材料制造的性能，可与技术级聚合物（如PP或PLA）一起使用.

KEYWORDS:

• Banana fiber
• natural fiber
• oil-emulsion treatment
• physical properties
• fiber extraction

关键词:

• 香蕉纤维
• 天然纤维
• 乳化油处理
• 物理性质
• 纤维提取