Abstract
Jute fabric samples were treated, with different formulations, using various proportions of bitumen emulsion and polyester (PE) resin in combined solutions. Styrene monomer was used as solvent, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide as cross-linking agent and cobalt naphtha as curing agent. The fabric specimens were immersed in the solution for 10–15 min, then pressed by a roller and dried at room temperature for 24 h. According to the percentage of bitumen emulsion and PE resin, the jute samples were obtained as J0 (untreated or raw jute), J1 (20% bitumen emulsion +10% PE), and J2 (10% bitumen emulsion +20% PE). It was revealed that tensile strength (TS) increased with bitumen emulsion and PE resin mixture treatment on both directions of jute fabrics where J2 showed the highest improvement of TS which were 61.4% and 44.7% for warp and weft direction respectively. Tensile strength (TS) decreased for all the samples in both directions after soil degradation. After 90 days, the untreated sample was totally degraded. Treated samples exhibited better stability than untreated ones in soil medium. Weight loss by soil degradation, moisture regain, moisture content and water uptake tests of the treated and untreated jute samples were also performed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was conducted to analyze the fiber surfaces of raw and treated jute fibers, finding significant differences as a result of treatment. Finally, the strategy of combining bitumen emulsion and PE resin for treatment, rather than using only PE resin, was found to produce a jute fabric which was not only better in all the above respects but also would be cheaper to produce.
Highlights
Jute is the most important natural cellulose-based fiber, second only to cotton, in world natural fiber production
The present study demonstrated that treating the jute fabrics with the mixture of bitumen emulsion and polyester resin solution was a beneficial technique to ameliorate the physico-mechanical characteristics of jute by overcoming its some inherent drawbacks such as poor stability in a soil and water medium
The treatment improved the tensile strength of jute fabrics significantly, in both warp and weft directions
Summary
Jute is the most important natural cellulose-based fiber, second only to cotton, in world natural fiber production. Bangladesh and India dominate the world jute market, as more than 85% of the world’s jute fibers are grown in these two countries [1]. The main constituents of jute are cellulose (58–60%), hemicellulose (21–25%), lignin (12–14%), fats and waxes (0.4–1.0%). Other minor ingredients such as proteins or nitrogenous matters, pectins, mineral matters, and traces of pigments are present in jute [2,3,4]. Jute fibers possess many promising characteristics such as light weight and sufficient strength. Jute has the longest staple length as well as outstanding properties for textile utilizations. Among the Fibers 2018, 6, 44; doi:10.3390/fib6030044 www.mdpi.com/journal/fibers
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