This document provides information about banana fibers. It discusses how banana fibers can be extracted from the pseudostem of banana plants through mechanical or retting methods. The physical and chemical properties of banana fibers are then outlined, noting their high cellulose content which provides strength. Banana fibers are comparable to sisal in terms of properties. Applications of banana fibers include use in textiles, furniture, and other products due to their desirable characteristics.

1. first year Masters program in Fiber science and
technology
Natural fibers
banana fiber
By:belete Baye
December,2018
EiTEX
Bahir dar University
Bahir Dar University
Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology

3. Banana plant: tree-like perennial
herb
scientific name= Musa
Musa paradisiaca, family
Musaceae
Grows easily in hot tropical
climates
All most all varieties give banana
fiber
Obtained after the fruits are
harvested
Eco-friendly like jute;
bio-degradable
Good appearance
Good finess and strength
INTRODUCTION

4. The pseudostem is
fleshy, strong looks like
k.
formed by the tightly
packed
overlapping leaf sheaths.
continues growing in
height as the leaves
emerge one after the other
and reaches its maximum
height(3m) when the
inflorescence emerges at
the top of the plant.

5. The anatomy of the banana pseudostem
(A) A transverse section,
showing the longitudinal
partitions and the lateral
partitions composed of stellate
parenchyma between them.
(B) Longitudinal section
showing the regularly
arranged lateral partitions.
(C) A view of the stellate
parenchyma that makes up the
lateral partitions. This is
composed of a single layer of
star-shaped cells.

6. World production of banana plant, courtesy Food and
Agricultural Organization of the UN
production of banana plant
4%
4%
5%
5%
6%
10%
12%
19%
35%
Banana growth percentage in the world

7. Cultivation and harvesting
 The banana plant has a shallow rooting
system in which the pseudo-stems grow
vertically.
 As it develops, a single plant may
produce about 25 of these pseud ostems,
which mature at different times.
 When the plants are 18–24 months
old,the outer pseudo-stems becoe mature
and ready to be harvested.
 Then, pseudo-stems are stripped
according their maturity
• When the flower is out, the pseudo-stems
are completely ready for harvesting. then
the pseudo-stems are cut at their base. Banana sheaths

8. a. Banana pseudo-stem trunk cross section and its parts:
b. outer parts;
c. middle parts;
d. inner parts;and
e. (e) core parts

9. cont…
• grow in a wide variety of soils,
• has good drainage
• The leaves are composed of
stalk(petiole) and blade(lamila)
• Cultivated plants vary in height
depending on variety and conditions
Banana sheaths

10. Cultivation and harvesting…

11. Extraction methods
mechanical(physical) extraction and by retting
1.mechanical banana extraction by a decorticator machine
.
ready for
use
Banana stem is
harvested

12. Cont..
• Decorticator Machine used to strip bark, skin,
wood, stalk, and grain.
• Need skill and patience.
• In general,
• only up to 11 exterior leaf sheaths in the
banana pseudo-stem can be extracted
• The fibers inside the interior sheaths have poor
strength, and peeling of these fibers is difficult
due to their brittleness and poor strength

13. 2. Retting Method
 microbial or Chemical method
• chemically by using alkalis like NaOH
• Alkali treatment causes fibrillation (breaking down of the composite fiber
bundle into smaller fibers
• Strong alkali treatment is applied at different concentrations
• It needs intense washing,
• has several drawbacks
Retting involves separation of the fiber bundles from the cortex or
wood, throuhgh partial digestion of the cementing material (such as
lignin and hemicellulose) between the fibers in the bundles.
retting process in banana fiber performed in two stages.
The first is physical stage in which water is absorbed; then swelling
happens, and some of the soluble substances are extracted.
The Second one is the microbial stage, either aerobic or anaerobic by the
action of fungi or bacteria, respectively.

14. Bioextraction Process
It is one type of retting method
production of clean fibers by using anoxic water depleted
with dissolved oxygen
enables process water recycling
It involves placing of banana pseudostem sheaths in a
tank containing anoxic water,
Water is circulated through an anaerobic reactor.
After 6 and 12 days of treatment, the fibers are collected
from the tank and then washed and dried.
Physically extracted fibers are obtained and characterized
Microbial method long-term process
affects quality of fiber and it is time taking process

15. Properties of Banana fiber

16. Physical and chemical properties
physically the banana fiber is extremely porous.
it has good modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, and stiffness
It is quite like ramie and bamboo fiber, but its spin ability and
fineness are much better
Its appearance is quite shiny, but depends on condition
It has low density and strong moisture absorption quality.
It absorbs and releases moisture quite fastly.
has high degree of crystallinity with a spiral angle of about 15°
Physical and mechanical properties of some plant fibers

17. Properties compared to sisal fiber

18. Mechanical properties of common natural fibers

19. Chemical properties
chemical compositions may vary with age,
variety, climatic conditions, geographical
location,
lignocellulosic fibers consist of cellulose,
hemicellulose, and lignin.
Cellulose(63-65%) is a semi crystalline
polysaccharide with large amounts of
hydroxyl groups, giving the fiber hydrophilic
properties .

20. Chemical properties
Hemi celulose(20-22%) is a branched, fully
amorphous polymer with hydroxyl and acetyl
groups, causing the fiber to be partly soluble in
water
Lignin(12-16%) aromatic, amorphous polymer
of phenyl propane, that attributes to the resistance
of natural decay as thermal degradation
lignocellulosic content of the banana sheath
may range 60%–85% of its dry weight,

21. Fat and waxes, which are mostly found on the surface of the
plants and can be extracted using benzene.
Pectin, in water-soluble form .
Hemicelluloses, which are amorphous short-chain
polysaccharides and polyuronides.
The polysaccharide hemicelluloses are chemically partly
linked or intermingled with cellulose molecules.
Cellulose, the major constituent of the fiber.
Lignin, which is a short-chain isotropic and non-crystalline
polymer made up of units derived from phenyl propane
Ash
Aqueous extract, which is extracted by boiling the dewaxed
fibers in water.

22. Celulose
(%)
Hemicell
ulose
(%)
Lignin
(%)
Extra
ctives
(%)
Ash
conten
t
(%)
Moisture
content
(%)
researcher
63.20 18.60 5.10 1.40 1.02 10.00 Li W, Zhang Y,
Li J, Zhou Y,
Li R, Zhou W
31.27 14.98 15.07 4.46 8.65 9.74 Khalil HSA,
Alwani MS,
Omar AKM
63.9 1.3 18.6 10.6 1.5 — Patil VVV
31.26 14.98 15.07 4.45 8.64 9.74 Bilba K,
Arsene M-A,
Ouensanga
57 10.33 15.55 — — 20.23 Mahangade
R, et al

23. properties of pseudostem and peduncle fibre extracted
from different banana cultivation areas.

24. Summery of characteristics of banana fibers

25. Macro-structures
fibers have clean surface
Morphological properties
it is a multi-cellular fiber.
Aspect ratio of 150:1
cell wall thickness 8.3 µm, between
sisal (12.8 µm) and ramie (11.5 µm).
has a scaly and cellular structure
The horizontal fiber surface is bundle
structures each with several fibrils.
The transverse section of fiber is multi-
cellular structure,
Has hollow structure for good
insulation and absorbance properties.

26. Fine structures
fibers are thick-walled cells
that are bonded together by
hemicellulose, pectin, and
lignin.
These fibers are located in the
outer periphery of each sheath.
Thickness of Fibers in Sheaths
vary
fibers made up of vascular and
supportive tissues; the big hole
is xylem, the vascular tissue
conducting water and minerals
Banana
fibers, SEM

27. Strucrue of the fiber

28. Fine structures
consist of Cellulose micro-fibrils in an amorphous matrix of
lignin and hemi-cellulose.

29. APPLICATONS OF BANANA FIBER

30. Applications of banana fiber

31. Cont…
For apparel garments and home
furnishings
• Matresses ,pilows,and
cushions in firnitureindustry
• Handy crafts, mobile phone
covers, curtains, door mats,
textiles,

32. APLICATION…

33. References
1) Satyanarayana, K. G., Rohatgi, P. K., and Vijayan, K., 1983, “Mechanical properties of banana
fibres (Musa sepientum),” Journal of Materials Science, 18(8), pp. 2290–2296.
2) Oliveira, L., Evtuguin, D., Cordeiro, N., and Silvestre, A. J. D., 2009, “Structural
characterization of stalk lignin from banana plant,” Industrial Crops and Products, 29(1), pp.
86–95.
3) “Fiber Watch: Fabric from Bananas?,” EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion
4) Babu, S., 2008, “Eco Green Unit: BANANA FIBRE PROJECT,” Eco Green Unit
5) Rajendra Boopathy S, Srinivasan VS, Sangeetha D, Vijaya Ramnath B. Evaluation of
mechanical and thermalproperties of banana–flax based natural fibre composite. Materials
& Design. 2014;60:620-627
6) Jayaprabha JS, Brahmakumar M, Manilal VB. Banana pseudostem characterization and its
fiber property evaluation on physical and bioextraction. Journal of Natural Fibers.
2011;8:149-160
7) Pereira ALS, Nascimento DM, Men de Sá Filho MS, Cassales AR, Morais JP, Paula RC, et al.
Banana (Musa sp. cv. Pacovan) pseudostem fibers are composed of varying lignocellulosic
composition throughout the diameter. BioResources. 2014;9:7749-7763