WATER HYACINTH FIBRE

ABSTRACT: -

Water Hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. The water Hyacinth plant is easily spread over the water. It has both negative and positive aspects. Water Hyacinth plant is easily available in ponds, lakes and reservoirs. The scientific name of Water hyacinth is Eichhornia crassipes. It is also known as the terror of Bengal because it is an exotic shrub which is growing at an alarming rate on the surface of water body. It inhibits the grow of fish and other aquatic organisms due to cut down of light and lack of oxygen. The very thing that should be in consideration, Water Hyacinth fibre is bio degradable and if we transform Water Hyacinth fibre into fabric or products by some process, it will be helpful for environment because of biodegradability. So, now a days so many researches are being done  to extract the cellulose from the water hyacinth plant and to convert that into cellulose based product.

INTRODUCTION: -

Water Hyacinth fibre that is WHF is essential in developing natural fibre based product with various biopolymer matrices. Water Hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant native to tropical and sub-tropical countries. This plant is considered as a weed because of its fast growth. The main cause of finding an alternate is to keep the environment pollution free that is caused because and during the time of producing a polymer like synthetic polymer one. The pollution occurs because of the uses of acid and chemicals that are harmful for environment. And when they are used in garment that may causes skin problem or causes other problem in human body. So, Instead of using the synthetic polymers or fibres if we use natural fibre, it will not only prevent from that, the bad effect on environment caused by Water hyacinth fibre ( that is cutting down of oxygen and light ) can also be reduced. This blog will tell about extraction, Characterization, surface treatment of water hyacinth fibre, There properties, compositions and the application area of that.

FIBRE EXTRACTION PROCESS: -

To Extract the fibre from water hyacinth plant, several methods are followed. The method like Physical, Chemical, Biological  processes are done to extract the fibre from Water Hyacinth plant.

·       MANUAL/ PHYSICAL EXTRACTION: -           

The Physical merthod is employed by direcl harvesting, cutting and removing the plant using machines or manual removing by hands and hand tools. A steel comb is used to sieve the plant stem, and then the fibre is extracted manually.

·       CONVENTIONAL RETTING PROCESS

Natural fibers from plants are normally extracted through the retting process. From this process, the majority of fibers from plants are extracted. However, this reheating process for hyacinth plants is not as effective as the mechanical method. Two or three weeks or one month is all that's required for the plant stem to be immersed in the water surface. Once the plant fiber is separated from the stem, it is easy to separate it from the parent plant. 22 Relative humidity is maintained at 60% during this retting process.

·       BOILING WATER EXTRACTION

Normal water is boiled for twenty minutes. Now, the hyacinth plant stem is inserted into the hot water for two hours. Then it is dried and keep in the oven for two days (48 hours). Completion of oven process hyacinth fiber is produced with boiling water. 90-100C of hot water is used in this work with fresh water hyacinth stem. For the dry hyacinth plant stem did not adopt to this test because the dried fiber contents did not properly derive from the parent plant. The ratios of the hot water and stem weight percentage is 10lt water: 1kg hyacinth stem.

·       EXTRACTION BY USING CHEMICALS: -

It consists of water hyacinth, NaOCl (14%), distilled water, NaOH (17.5%), H2SO4 (96%), commercial chitosan, tapioca starch, glycerol, acetic acid (100%), food coloring, pH paper, and filter paper. Characterization instruments include Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and a universal testing machine.

 

ISOLATING CELLULOSE FROM WATER HYACINTH

1. Water hyacinth was sun-dried for 7 days.

2. Dry water hyacinth was washed, cut into small pieces, and mashed with a blender to generate a sample size of less than 1 mm.

3.  A 15 g dried water hyacinth sample was bleached using 1:20 (w/v) sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution.

4. Bleaching was done at 75-80 oC with 590 rpm stirring for 4 hours.

5. The bleached sample dispersion was neutralized with distilled water until it achieved pH of 7.

6. The material was decanted and filtered to remove the filtrate.

7. The neutralized sample was refluxed with 150 mL of 17.5% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for 3 hours at 45°C, stirring at 500 rpm.

8. The white powder residue was neutralized with distilled water to a pH of 7, then dried at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Manufacturing and Characterization of Bioplastic Formulations

Bioplastic was created using a 3% and 5% matrix mixture of starch and cellulose from water hyacinth, with weight ratios of 10: 0, 9: 1, 8: 2, and 7:3. The combination of starch and cellulose was swirled at 600 rpm with a magnetic stirrer until homogeneous, then heated at 75-80 oC until gelatinized.

COMPOSITIONS OF WATER HYACINRTH FIBRE

PROPERTIES: -

PROPERTIES	VALUE/STATEMENT
Moisture Content	42.03%
Density	1.23-1.45
Max Tensile strength	0.64 MPa
Specific Modulus	6.45 MPa/g/cm3
Elongation at Break	1.8%
Thermal Coductivity	0.047-0.065 W/mK
Effect of acid	As the concentration of acid increases, Water Hyacinth fibre got degraded by releasing sugar. 2-3(v/v) Sulfuric acid Hydrolyzed the water Hyacinth fibre.
Effect of alkali	Alkali treatment significantly enhanced the tensile strength by cleaning the fibre surface

 

USES: -

·       Water hyacinth fiber is highly versatile and can be used in various applications. One of the most common applications is in handicrafts, where workers weave elaborate designs into baskets, mats, and home decor items. The fiber's natural strength and durability make it an excellent choice for these items, providing a unique and environmentally friendly alternative to typical materials.

·       Water hyacinth fiber is now used in furniture and textile industries, in addition to handicrafts. Furniture made from water hyacinth fibers is not only aesthetically beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Chairs, tables, and other objects created from this material help to promote a circular economy by transforming an invasive plant into usable and fashionable items.

·       In the textile industry, water hyacinth fibers are combined with various materials to create unique textures and qualities. These materials are not only environmentally sustainable, but also breathable, making them ideal for a wide range of garment and accessory applications.

·       Water hyacinth fiber has benefits, but obstacles include inconsistency in fiber quality, seasonality, and effective collection methods. Ongoing research and technical advances are addressing these problems, with the goal of optimizing the manufacturing process and realizing water hyacinth's full potential as a sustainable resource.

 

CONCLUSION: -

So, It is of no doubt that Water hyacinth Fibre is an biodegradable fibre and useful one. But the thing is that it is the fibre that is under research because of low tensile modulus and it may create skin problem. The use of water hyacinth fiber faces challenges such as variability in fiber quality, seasonality, and the need for effective harvesting methods. So, We can see that water Hyacinth fibre has both some advantages and disadvantages and it is not as useful as cotton fibre.