Long natural cellulosic fibers from cornhusks: Structure and properties

Novel, natural long staple cellulose fibers have been obtained from cornhusks. A unique alkali and enzyme treatment was developed to produce the fibers. The structure and properties of these cornhusk fibers are compared to other long cellulose fibers; e.g., linen, jute, ramie, kenaf, hemp, pineapple leaf fibers, sisal, and wool. X-ray diffraction was used to study the physical structure and SEM was used to study the morphological structure of the fibers. Fiber properties studied include fiber tensile properties and moisture regain. The results show that the physical and morphological structures of corn fibers are similar to the multicellular natural cellulose fibers, whereas the tensile properties are similar to those of wool.