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Title: Mechanical properties and surface chemistry of kenaf fiber for composite reinforcement – an insight into the retting process

Author
item RAMESH, DINESH - University Of North Texas
item VISI, DAVID - University Of North Texas
item AYRE, BRIAN - University Of North Texas
item ALLEN, MICHAEL - University Of North Texas
item Webber Iii, Charles
item D'SOUZA, NANDIKA - University Of North Texas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/18/2012
Publication Date: 10/15/2012
Citation: Ramesh, D., Visi, D.K., Ayre, B.G., Allen, M.S., Webber III, C.L., D'Souza, N. 2012. Mechanical properties and surface chemistry of kenaf fiber for composite reinforcement – an insight into the retting process [abstract]. BioEnvironmental Polymer Society Conference, September 18-21, 2012, Denton, TX. Poster No. 33.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Harnessing natural fibers to produce polymer composites requires processing of fibers from harvest to the dried state, which can then be dispersed in the polymer resin. Bast fibers are found in the bark layer of fibrous plants such as kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), jute (Corchorus olitorius), and flax (Linum usitatissimum). In the plant, bast fibers are held together with the surrounding tissues by pectin, which must be removed to liberate the fibers in a process called retting. The industrial process for fiber production utilizes sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to ret the fiber bundles. A traditional but slower process involves leaving harvested kenaf bark bundles in river or pond water, where naturally occurring microbial populations break the pectin bonds to release the fibers. Research was conducted to investigate potential alternative retting processes based on enzymatic retting, using pectinase, and isolation of a microbial population to ret the fiber. Four processing conditions were chosen to identify which best maintained desirable fiber characteristics: 1) alkali retting with 2% NaOH, 2) enzymatic retting with pectinase, 3) retting by the natural microbial population originating from river water and pond water, and 4) controlled microbial retting. The experimental results suggested that enzymatic retting with pectinase and the controlled microbial retting can reduce the retting time and yield higher quality fibers. The results from these experiments indicate that controlled microbial retting is an inexpensive process to produce quality fibers for composite reinforcement.