Separation and Characterization of Cellulose Fibers from Cannabis Bast Using Foamed Nickel by Cathodic Electro-Fenton Oxidation Strategy

Abstract

Degumming is the most important link in the textile industry. The main purpose of degumming is to effectively remove non-cellulose substances in plant bast fibers. In this research, we propose an electro-Fenton (EF) system with a nickel-foam (Ni-F) cathode in weak acid pH (EF/Ni-F) to degum cannabis fiber in EF while reducing the content of pollutants in degumming wastewater. FT-IR, XPS, XRD, SEM, and TG were employed to thoroughly understand the reaction characteristics to characterize chemical components, element qualities, the crystallinity, and the morphologies of degummed fibers. Additionally, physical and mechanical properties such as breaking strength, elongation at breaking, residual glue rate, whiteness, and diameter of degummed fibers were measured. Through testing, it was found that the fiber degummed by the EF method had higher breaking strength, lower residual tackiness, and higher whiteness than other methods. The antibacterial test was used to detect the effect of fiber on Staphylococcus aureus before and after degumming. EF could remove more colloidal components from cannabis than other methods, and the mechanical properties were also enhanced. The characteristics of the degummed fiber further confirmed the effectiveness of the new degumming method. Moreover, the antibacterial experiment found that the antibacterial property of the degummed fiber was enhanced. The colloidal components in the degumming wastewater were flocculated and precipitated. The upper liquid of the solution had low chromaticity, low COD value, and weak acid pH value, which can meet the discharge requirements. The above test proves that EF is an effective degumming method that is environmentally friendly, takes less time, and enhances antibacterial performance.

Processes and Challenges for the Manufacturing of Lyocell Fibres with Alternative Agricultural Feedstocks

“…Unfortunately, these fibres are either too short (e.g., kapok and milkweed) or too coarse (e.g., coir) for staple fibre spinning and are utilised more towards nonwoven and household textile applications [128,129]. Bast fibres, such as those found in industrial hemp and flax, can be processed into textiles; however, additional processes are often required to "cottonise" the fibre so it can be used in consumer textile applications [41,[130][131][132]. Additionally, these fibres are often blended with cotton or synthetic fibres to improve mechanical properties.…”

A novel cascade organosolv degumming method for preparation of hemp fibers using glycolic acid and ethanolamine

“…The preparation of hemp ber involves the degumming process to remove of lignin, hemicellulose, and other colloidal substances (Zhao et al, 2023). Traditional alkaline degumming, conducted under high temperature and pressure conditions, requires a signi cant amount of sodium hydroxide reagent, generating a substantial amount of wastewater (Sun et al, 2022;Zhao et al, 2023).…”