Degumming of decorticated ramie: Effects of alkalis on gummy compositions vis-a-vis their properties

Various alkalis, judiciously selected on the basis of their base dissociation constant (K-b), were used for degumming of ramie fiber. They were graded according to their performance with respect to the removal of individual components of the gummy material. The fiber properties were analyzed in terms of residual gum content, moisture regain, methylene blue exhaustion, whiteness index and tensile strength. Three formulations with three different alkalis were reported with the all-round clegumming performance. Surface morphology of decorticated and degummed fiber samples were observed by SEM photographs.