Characteristics of Fibre Extracted from Leaves of Banana (Musa spp.) Cultivar Ambun

Abstract

Production processes are now shaping toward the concept of environmentalfriendly and sustainable development. Waste biomass of various plants are widely utilized to extract natural fibers to be used in a diversified range of applications. Among these plants, banana carries a vast potential for extracting fibers from its pseudostem and leaves. In this study, fibers from leaves of banana cultivar Ambun (AAA) at harvesting stage were extracted by a decorticator machine. Fresh weight of the leaves (as mid ribs and leaf blades separately) used for extraction was measured. During fiber extraction, mid ribs of banana leaves were fed to the decorticator as they were, and parts of leaf blades were folded before feeding to the decorticator. After extraction, the fibers were hung up to air dry and the dry weight was measured. The yield of the fibers was influenced by the part of the banana leaf. Fiber extracted from mid ribs showed a significantly high amount of fiber compared to fiber extracted from leaf blades. The fiber quantity was 4.25 g of dry fiber per 100 g of fresh mid ribs whereas 0.88 g of dry fiber per 100 g of fresh leaf blades. The highest average tensile strength (breaking load of 1.34 N) was shown by the fiber separated from the mid ribs. Therefore, mid ribs can be suggested as the most economical part of the leaves of Ambun cultivar in extracting fibers due to its higher strength and quantity parameters for making use in fiber-based industries.