Developing sustainable textiles with cellulosic fibers modified with natural antibacterial agents

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Date

2024

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Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka

Abstract

In the modern world, fibers with natural origin are gaining popularity because of their widespread availability, biodegradability, and comfortability. Furthermore, natural fibers are a renewable resource with minimal environmental burden. Among the diverse sources available, pineapple (Ananas comosus) leaf fiber (PALF) is a promising textile fiber due to its exceptional tensile strength (highest tensile strength among other known natural fibers), remarkable thermal and acoustic insulation properties, and cost-effectiveness. Extraction of PALF can be achieved both mechanically and manually. The surface of the extracted fibers can be modified by chemical treatments, physicochemical treatments, physical treatments, or thermal treatments. These treatments can improve pineapple leaf fibers' physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The current work enhanced the antibacterial properties of PALF using clove oil. Clove oil is produced by Syzygium aromaticum. The predominant ingredient in clove extraction is eugenol, which is considered as the primary antibacterial agent. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was initially crosslinked onto the cellulose fibers using Citric acid as the crosslinking agent to make a crosslinking system; the formation of crosslinks, was confirmed by the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), which resulted in a peak at 1712 cm-1 for the ester bond formation of PVA and cellulose. Subsequently, clove oil was dispersed using Cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) as the surfactant. Antibacterial properties of clove oil-coated pineapple leaf nonwoven fabric were evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the disc diffusion method. Staphylococcus aureus was used as a Gram-positive bacterium, while Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were used as Gram-negative bacteria. Interestingly, the system with optimum anti-bacterial activity showed the highest inhibition diameters for all these bacteria. The highest inhibition diameters for S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and E. coli were 22 mm, 13 mm, and 9 mm, respectively. This clove oil-coated pineapple leaf nonwoven fabric can be used in medical textile applications such as drapes and cloths, surgical gowns, surgical caps, and health care hygiene products.

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Keywords

Antibacterial, Biodegradability, Clove oil, Pineapple leaf fibers, Sustainable textiles

Citation

Dissanayake T. W. M. I. I.; Samarasinghe S. A. S. C.; Undugoda L. (2024), Developing sustainable textiles with cellulosic fibers modified with natural antibacterial agents, Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied and Pure Sciences (ICAPS 2024-Kelaniya) Volume 4, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka. Page 24

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