Alkali treatment effects on agave Americana fiber properties

Abstract

In this study we focus on the mechanical properties of alkali treated and raw agave Americana fiber. Mechanical extraction and water retting were used to obtain this fibre from the agave Americana tree. In hilly locations, agave americana plants are most common. We get it from the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Agave Americana fibres were put through mechanical, thermal, SEM, and chemical tests to compare their mechanical properties. The data obtained indicate that treated agave Americana fibre has superior qualities than raw fibre. Thermal properties and mechanical properties improve after NaOH treatment as compare to untreated fibre. The alkali treatment is a fairly simple procedure that is advised for use on plant fibres similar to the fibre from the agave americana.