Reinforcement of ozone pre-treated and enzyme hydrolyzed longer jute micro crystals in poly lactic acid composite films

In present study, jute fibers were pre-treated with ozone gas to remove the lignin. The effect of ozone treatment on change in single fiber strength, fiber surface morphology, whiteness, moisture absorbency, etc was studied. For comparison purpose, chemical pre-treatment of jute fibers was also carried out. In subsequent step, untreated, chemical and ozone pre-treated jute fibers were hydrolyzed by cellulase enzymes for separation of longer jute micro crystals. The influence of non-cellulosic contents on the enzyme hydrolysis and morphology of obtained micro crystals was presented. Later, 3 wt% of these jute micro crystals were incorporated into poly (lactic acid) matrix to prepare composite films by solvent casting. The reinforcement behavior was evaluated from tensile tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.