Banana stem fibers

Bast or stem fibers Oute, mesta, banana)... 

Chapters 2-10 discuss in detail the different properties of natural lignocellulosic fibers, their processing and fabrication of polymer composites. Chapter 11 summarizes the structure, chemistry and properties of different agro-residual fibers such as wheat straw corn stalk, cob and husks okra stem banana stem, leaf, bxmch reed stalk nettle pineapple leaf sugarcane oil palm bunch and coconut husk along with their processing. 

There are several different classifications in terms of plant fibers. While the classification of Nishino [59] includes seven groups as bast (soft) fibers (flax, hemp, jute), leaf (hard) fibers (sisal, abaca, pineapple, etc.), stem fibers (bamboo, banana stalk, corn stalk), fruit fibers (coconut), seed fibers (cotton, baobab, kapok), straw fibers (rice, wheat, corn), and others (seaweeds, palm), that of Faruk et al. [3] has six groups bast fibers (jute, flax, hemp), leaf fibers (abaca, sisal and pineapple), seed fibers (coir, cotton and kapok), core fibers (kenaf, hemp and jute), grass and reed fibers (wheat, corn and rice) and all other types (wood and roots). 

Decrease in water absorption behavior is reported to occur with alkalizing of okra bast and banana stem and bxmch fibers [5,26]. Ganan et al. [26] reported an increase in contact angle and decrease in surface free energy. Yilmaz [11] also found a decrease in moisture content of corn husk fibers with the increase in concentration and duration of alkalization. The decrease in moisture content might be due to the reduction in hydroxyl groups. 

Stem fibers Bamboo, Bagasse, Banana stalk, Cork stalk... 

Such an approach to fiber classification appears to be systematic and objective. Unfortunately, plants do not always follow the pattern of roots, trunk, leaves, seed, or fruit. There are anomalies. For example, the banana-like plants, yielding abaca, do not have the woody trunk conventionally associated with other plants. Instead, its stem consists of layers of thick, crescentshaped (in cross section) sheaths wrapped around each other they reduce to spindly growths that unfurl from the stem and become the thick central stems of fronds (see Section 8.2.1). Botanically, the sheath-frond system is called a leaf consequently, the fiber extracted from the sheath is classified as leaf fiber. On the other hand, sisal or henequen fibers come from the swordlike leaves of their respective plants. Bagasse (from sugarcane) fiber, used for paper or fiberboard, comes from the stem, which is neither a leaf nor a woody trunk. Thus, the classification of fibers as seed, bast, leaf, or miscellaneous fibers is somewhat arbitrary. 

Fibers collected from seeds or seed cases, e.g. cotton and kapok Fibers collected from leaves, e.g. fique, sisal, banana and agave Fibers are collected from the skin or bast surrounding the stem of their respective plant. These fibers have higher tensile strength than other fibers. Therefore, these fibers are used for durable yam, fabric, packaging, and paper. Some examples are flax, jute, kenaf, industrial hemp, ramie, rattan, and vine fibers. 

The bast and leaf fibers give mechanical support to the plant s stem and leaf, respectively. Bast consists of a wood core surrounded by stem, and within the stem, there are a numbers of fiber bundles, each containing individual fiber cells or filaments. The bast fibers such as, hemp, flax, jute, kenaf, and ramie are usually grown in warm climates. The leaf fibers, such as sisal, abaca, banana, and henequen, are coarser than bast fibers. The seed-hair fibers, such as cotton, coir, and milkweed, are attached to the plant s seeds [68]. 

P. Ganan, J. Cruz, S. Garbizu, A. Arbelaiz, and 1. Mondragon, Stem and bunch banana fibers from cultivation wastes Effect of treatments on physico-chemical behavior. /. Appl. Polym. Sci. 94,1489-1495 (2004). 

M.A. Maleque, F.Y Belal, and S.M. Sapuan, Mechanical properties study of pseudo-stem banana fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Arab. J. Sci. Eng. 32 (2B) 359-364 (2007). 

Natural fibers vary widely in chemical composition, stmcture, and dimension and are obtained from different parts of the plants. Natural fibers, such as jute, ramie, flax, kenaf, and hemp are obtained from the stem abaca, sisal, banana and pineapple from the leaf cotton, coir, and kapok from the seed grass, and reed fibers (com, rice, and wheat) [4]. Climatic conditions, age, and fiber extraction... 

Biofibers are classified according to the part of the plant they are extracted from. Some fibers, like cotton, are part of the seeds of plants. Some fibers, like hemp and flax, are contained within the tissues of the stems of plants and referred to as bast fibers. Some fibers, like sisal and banana, are part of the leaves of plants. Some fibers, like coconut, are part of the fruit of plants. Biofibers most commonly used as reinforcements in composites are shown in Table 10.2. 

Sreekumar et al. (2008) have reported the effect of fiber content in polyester composites and have reported 40% volume fraction to show maximum tensile strength. Sapuan et al. (2006) investigated the mechanical properties of woven banana fiber reinforced with epoxy composites. Tensile strength. Flexure, impact and fracture surface study of woven pseudo stem banana fiber reinforced with epoxy composites was reported and the chemical modification of kenaf fiber was carried out by Edeerozey et al. (2007). Anuar et al. (2011) studied the thermal... 

The most common fibers in biocomposites come from linen, hemp, cotton, jute, coconut, banana, and leaves of various kinds of agave. The basic problem with the proper application of natural fibers is their great variation in quality and mechanical properties. Synthetic fibers such as glass fiber and carbon fiber have very specific physical characteristics, but the features of natural fiber depend on many factors, such as their origin, the age of the plant, whether the material comes from leaves or stem, and on the process of obtaining the fiber and its preparation. 

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