Characterization of Textile Grade Novel Bauhinia Vahlii Fiber

Abstract

ABSTRACT Increasing demand for bio-degradable, eco-friendly, and sustainable textile products to confront environmental pollution accelerates the research on natural fibers. Researchers are also in search of novel natural fibers to be used in different textile products. The present study attempts to extract textile-grade novel Bauhinia vahlii fibers (BVFs) from the Bauhinia vahlii (BV) plant bark. Textile grade BVFs were obtained by treating the BV plant bark with 15% (w/w) sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) at 95°C for 2 h, followed by manual fiber extraction. The extracted BVFs were analyzed for physical, chemical, morphological, structural, mechanical, and thermal characteristics. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and chemical analysis revealed that the extracted fiber contains 75.8% holocellulose and 13.7% lignin. The physical analysis demonstrated that BVFs have 10.5% moisture content, 1.47 gm/cm3 fiber density, and 15.77 microns average fiber fineness. X-ray diffraction (×RD) confirmed that BVFs have 56% crystallinity. Thermogravimetric study revealed that the BVFs could be thermally stable up to 233.4°C. Outcomes of all the analyzes indicate that the extracted fiber can be used to convert them into yarn by blending with some short-staple fiber.