Effect of different retting processes on yield and quality of banana pseudostem fiber

The main objective of this study is to develop a suitable technology to utilize banana pseudostem waste in an effective manner. The choice of a specific extraction method depends on the intended end uses of the fibers and hence different methods (mechanical, microbial, chemical, and enzymatic) were carried out to extract cellulosic fibers from Poovan variety and the chemical properties were investigated. The flexural and tensile properties of fibers were explored to analyze the suitability of fibers for different applications. Results obtained from these analyses confirmed that the tex value of chemical retted fiber was lesser than others. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the surfaces of the chemically retted fibers were rougher than mechanically extracted fibers with an average diameter of 180 µm. The elemental composition of the chemical-treated banana pseudostem fibers was investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectrum indicated the presence of similar functional groups in all the fiber samples.