Effects of extraction techniques on textile properties of William banana peduncle fibers

Abstract

In this research work, the effect of extraction methods on the physical (morphology, density, length, apparent diameter, and color) and mechanical (tensile and bending KAWABATA) properties of the William banana peduncle fibers were examined. Among the methods used to carry out those tests, can be cited; the extraction tests using water retting (WR), dew retting (DR), and rolling by mechanical extraction (ME). The mechanical tests were carried out using TEXTECHNO Vibromat ME (measurement of the vibration frequency of the fiber), tensile test (MTS 20/M), and a Bending KAWABATA KES-FB2-SH test. To analyze the microstructure of the longitudinal plane of William banana peduncle, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) mapping was used. The results showed that, water retting, gave a high yield (42.55%) compared to fibers extracted by rolling (23.40%). The different methods of extraction by retting lead to a reduction of about 35% in the apparent diameter of the fibers compared to the fibers obtained mechanically. When studying the colors of the surfaces of the fiber, the results presented the fact that the fibers extracted by rolling (ME) were darker than those retted in water or dew (WR and DR). However, the retted fibers were redder and yellower compared to the fibers passed through a rolling mill. SEM mapping was a result of strips of flat fiber bundles, followed by the brittle fracture surface regardless of the extraction method used. water retted fibres are longer than those extracted by rolling. There was a high uniformity index (UI) value for WR (70. 89%), which showed that these fiber bundles were more uniform in length compared to the two other methods (66.4% for DR and 64.28% for ME). The density of the William banana peduncle was not very sensitive to the extraction method. Significant differences were revealed for the specific breaking strength, initial modulus, and elongation at break depending on the extraction method. The Kawabata bending test showed the fact that fibers extracted by rolling were stiffer (1.63 mNmm2/tex2) compared to retting method fibers (0.51 mNmm2/tex2 for WR and 0.73 mNmm2/tex2 for DR). There is a possibility of using William banana fiber for textile applications in view of the tensile and bending properties obtained.