Extraction and Characterization of Natural Fiber from Furcraea Foetida Leaves as an Alternative Material for Textile Applications

Abstract

This paper reported the process of extraction and characterization of the properties of natural fiber from the leaves of the Furcraea foetida plant. The water retting method was used to extract the fiber. The fiber properties obtained were used to analyze the ability of fiber to be spun into yarn for textile application. A bundle of Furcraea foetida fibers consist of many individual fibers. The longitudinal view of the fiber cells show up as long cylindrical tubes and the cross-section of fibers were an irregular, polygonal shape. The tensile strength of the Furcraea foetida fibers was 3 g/denier. The elongation at break of the Furcraea foetida fibers was 8.61%. The fineness of the Furcraea foetida fibers was 8.3 tex. The average fiber length was 70.8 cm. The Furcraea foetida fibers were hygroscopic fibers with 8.48% moisture regain. The coefficient of friction of the Furcraea Foetida fibers was 0.053. The properties of the fiber showed that the Furcraea foetida fiber has potential to be spun into yarn. Natural fibers from the leaves of the Furcraea foetida plant could be used as an alternative material for textile application.

Keywords

• furcraea foetida
• leaf fiber
• extraction
• fiber properties