Extraction and characterisation of natural cellulose fibers from Kigelia africana

Kigelia africana also known as sausage plant, yields highly fibrous fruit with a hard shell. Many medicinal uses are reported for the extracts from the fruits, seeds and leaves of sausage trees. In this research, natural cellulose fibers were extracted from the fruit using NaOH and later bleached and characterized for their properties. Results revealed that significant amount of hemicellulose and lignin was lost after the alkali treatment and bleaching leading to a highly cellulosic fiber (up to 71 %). Morphologically, surface of the fibers varied from rough to smooth depending on the extent of treatment. The thermal stability, crystallinity and hydrophobicity increased after the treatment. Sausage fibers also possessed anti-microbial activity against common gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Overall, sausage fibers have properties similar to that of cotton and better than fibers obtained from many unconventional sources. With improved hydrophobicity and anti-bacterial properties, sausage fibers could be potentially applied in functional polymer composites.