Impact of Cultivation Area on the Physical, Chemical, and Mechanical Properties of Banana Pseudo-Stems Fibers in Cameroon

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cellulosic fibers were extracted from the pseudo-stem of Musa sapientum cultivated in two different sites in Cameroon. The FBY (Yaounde Banana Fibers) and FBP (Penja Banana Fibers) studied in this work were obtained by a bio-extraction method and characterized. The apparent densities of FBP and FBY were 0.90 ± 0.02 g/cm3 and 1.03 ± 0.04 g/cm3, while the moisture contents were 10.6 ± 0.2% and 12.4 ± 0.3%, respectively. Their chemical compositions were as follows: extracts 15.32% and 17.79%; pectin 5.7% and 14.77%; lignin 10.1% and 9.8%; and cellulose 47.1% and 58.3%, respectively. The water absorption rate at saturation was 140% and 170% by mass and was reached rapidly in the first 30 min of immersion. The tensile strengths of fibers were 743.9 MPa and 730.6 MPa, the elastic moduli were 260 MPa and 242 MPa, and the elongations at break were 2.8% and 2.2%, respectively. From the thermal analysis, the fibers’ stability temperatures were in the neighborhood of 250°C. Only slight differences were noticed in the properties of both fibers. Long outdoor conservation of the banana pseudo-stems before processing provided fibers with properties comparable to the properties of natural fibers reported in the literature. Independently of the harvesting locations, both fibers can be envisaged as cost-cutting fillers in the plastic industry.