Extraction and characterization of fibre from musa plant bract

Abstract

An attempt has been made to extract the fibres from banana bracts which have several advantages in terms of environmental friendliness, sustainability and converting the waste into wealth. The banana bract fibres are extracted through mechanical and chemical treatments. The fibre characteristics, such as length, fibre strength, fibre elongation, and moisture regain, has been tested and analyzed. The bract fibre yield percentage varies from 1.02 to 1.84. Most of the bract fibres possess 14 - 24 cm length, which is sufficient to produce textile staple spun yarn. The banana bract fibre has the moisture regain of 8.51-11.63%. The fibre length, tensile strength, fibre elongation and moisture properties of the banana bract fibre show that the bract fibre can be used as raw materials for the production of biodegradable yarn. The 6s Ne rotor staple spun yarns has been successfully produced from bract fibre using miniature lab model rotor spinning machine.