Table 2.
Natural fibres physical and chemical properties with biodegradation time [42,49,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61].
| Fibre | Diameter (μm) | Length (mm) | Cellulose (wt.%) | Hemi Celluloses (wt.%) | Lignin (wt.%) | Pectin (wt.%) | Waxes (wt.%) | Degradation Time (Months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abaca | 10–30 | 4.6–5.2 | 45.4 | 38.5 | 14.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | |
| Alfa | 14–17 | 1–2 | 37.0 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 10.0 | - | |
| Bagasse | 10–34 | 0.8–2.8 | 62.5 | 12.5 | 7.5 | 4.0 | - | |
| Banana | 12–30 | 0.4–0.9 | 34.5 | 20.5 | 26.0 | - | - | |
| Bamboo stick | 25–88 | 1.5–4.0 | 46.0 | 0.3 | 45.0 | 4.0 | - | 12–36 |
| Coir | 7–30 | 0.3–3.0 | 89.0 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 6.0 | 0.6 | |
| Cotton | 12–35 | 15–56 | 82.7 | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.6 | ||
| Coconut | 100–450 | 0.3–1 | 70.5 | 16.5 | 2.5 | 0.9 | - | 1–6 |
| Flax - single fibres - technical fibres |
12–37 40–620 |
15–20 500–750 |
62.0–72.0 | 18.6–20.6 | 2.0–10.0 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Hemp - single fibres - technical fibres |
16–50 40–620 |
10–15 700–1500 |
64.0–78.3 | 16.0–22.4 | 2.9–5.7 | - | 0.8 | 3–8 |
| Henequen | 150–250 | 700–800 | 67.0 | 16.0 | 9.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | |
| Jute - single fibres - technical fibres |
18–20 - |
0.8–6.0 2000–3000 |
56.0–71.5 | 13.6–35.0 | 2.9–5.7 | - | 0.5 | 6–18 |
| Kapok | 20–43 | 10–35 | 53.5 | 21.0 | 17.0 | 2.0 | - | |
| Kenaf | 12–36 | 1.4–11 | 80.5 | 17.5 | 8.3 | 4.0 | - | 6–12 |
| Pineapple | 8–41 | 3–8 | 72.0 | 14.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | - | |
| Ramie - single fibres - technical fibres |
50 5000 |
60–250 ~2000 |
60.0 | 11.5 | 8.0 | 1.2 | - | |
| Sisal | 100–300 | 600–1500 | 62.5 | 21.0 | 12.0 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 12 |