Abstract

Creating a hermetic alkali digestion method to separate single cellulosic fibres from kenaf bast was the aim of this investigation. Kenaf bast were hermetically processed into single fibre for an hour at four different temperatures using a sodium hydroxide solution.The elimination of lignin and hemicelluloses during the hermetical digesting procedure used in this study resulted in fibres with high cellulose content. the fibers's digested surface hardness and elastic modulus. Were vastly improved as compared to those that had been digested. As the digestion temperature increased, the tensile modulus and tensile strength of the individual fibres decreased. When the fibres were digested, micropores were created in the cell walls of the fibres. Studies on composite materials comprised of polypropylene reinforced with digested fibres showed that there was poor compatibility between the digested fibres and polypropylene matrix.