Ozone treatment of jute fibers

Oxidation of cellulosic materials is required in many fields such as textile processing, natural fiber composites, medical utilization, and so on. The present study was designed to explore the possibility of ozone treatment as a greener oxidation process for jute fibers. Ozone gas was used for the treatment of waste jute fibers for different time periods in a humid atmosphere. Several characterization techniques, namely physical appearance, fiber mechanical properties, the copper number, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, moisture regain percentage and lightness values (L), were used to assess the effect of treatment on jute fibers. Results showed that fiber tensile properties weaken gradually as a function of treatment time, and surface functional groups alter accordingly. Changes in crystallinity after ozone treatment were also observed. Physically the fiber bundles were split into brittle single fibers, and the L value increased from a brownish shade to lighter color.