Morphologies and properties of Juncus effusus fiber after alkali treatment

Juncus effusus (JE) is a natural cellulose fiber with unique three-dimensional network structure and interconnected channels. However, to the best of knowledge, no efforts have been dedicated to the influence of alkali treatment on the morphologies and properties of the JE fibers, which can contribute to the removal of dyes from wastewater. Herein, the natural cellulose JE fibers were subjected to alkali treatment various concentrations of NaOH. The mechanical, chemical, thermal, wetting, and surface morphological properties of alkali-treated JE fibers were examined using a variety of experimental techniques, confirming that the chemical and mechanical properties of the JE fibers were enhanced after alkali treatment. Fibers treated with 4% w/v NaOH exhibited a maximum tensile strength of 200.63 +/- 36.38 kPa and elongation at break of 12.10% +/- 2.69%. During alkali treatment, amorphous material such as hemicellulose was partial removed and the crystallinity index of the alkali-treated JE fibers was enhanced. The treated fibers exhibited a rough morphology owing to the removal of hemicelluloses. Future studies will mainly focus on the applicability of alkali-treated JE fibers for the removal of dyes from wastewater. Graphic abstract