Sustainable extraction and characterization of hibiscus sabdariffa fibre (Mesta)

Abstract

Green fibres like flax, jute, sisal, kenaf, mesta which has been used for more than 8000 years are the present and the future raw materials not only for the textile industry but also for modern eco-friendly composites, cosmetics, medicine, food, fodder, bio-polymers, agro fine chemicals and energy. Potentially under optimum cultivation conditions they cause little or no detrimental effect on the eco-system and they can be grown in different climatic zones. Organically cultivated, they recycle the carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. In the present study the sustainable extraction and characterization of Hibiscus Sabdariffa (mesta) were studied and documented along with the chemical composition and SEM of the fibre. The fibre was extracted from the stems by microbial retting technique and its composition was studied. The fibre was extracted immediately after harvesting and post harvesting.