Influence of the Boiling Water Extraction Technique on the Chemical, Physical, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of the Midrib of Cavendish Variety Banana Plant Leaves from Cameroon

Abstract

Our study described in this paper sought to show that the fibers of the midrib of the leaves of cavendish variety banana plants from Cameroon can be extracted by boiling water and to compare their properties (chemical, physical, thermal, and mechanical) with those obtained by cold water extraction. The standard tests for the various characterizations were respected. This study showed that the fibers extracted with boiling water contained 64.3% cellulose, 18.1% hemicellulose, 4.5% lignin, and 12.9% pectin, while the fibers extracted by the cold water technique contained 65% cellulose, 19% hemicellulose, 5% lignin, and 11% pectin. The extraction of fibers by the boiling water technique gave a 9.35% extraction yield, 0.94 g.cm−3 density, 15.23 tex linear mass, 11.10% water content, 169.78% water absorption degree, and 36.02% humidity at a relative humidity of 75%, while the fibers extracted by the cold water technique had a 12.35% extraction yield, 0.91 g.cm−3 density, 14.23 tex linear mass, 10.73% water content, 102.4% water absorption degree, and 34.45% humidity at a relative humidity of 75%. The boiling water extracted fibers had a thermal stability temperature of 268.5 °C. The student’s t-test showed that the fibers obtained by the boiling water extraction technique and the cold water extraction technique had identical mechanical properties. Thus, we suggest that the fibers of the midrib of the leaves of banana plants can be extracted with boiling water and used in textiles and composite materials.