Evaluation of Aqueous Ammonia-Ethanol Degumming of Ramie Fiber

10.6911/WSRJ.202206_8(6).0040

Xiaozhen Li；Jianghai Lin；Run Huang；Xuemei Huang；Zhiquan Liang；Wenjuan Xiao；Yuan Xu；Zehuan Liu

Ramie fiber ； Aqueous ammonia ； Ethanol ； Degumming ； Chemical compositions

World Scientific Research Journal

8卷6期（2022 / 06 / 01）

303 - 312

英文

Ramie fiber is known as ＂king of natural fibers＂ due to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and is widely used in the textile industry. Aqueous ammonia and ethanol are cheap and readily available chemicals, which have potential in fibers degumming process. To develop an effective and economical degumming method, aqueous ammonia and ethanol were used to treat ramie fibers. The results showed that the gummy contents of the ramie fibers degummed with aqueous ammonia‐ethanol (AAE) at 160°C for 2 h were decreased to 8.73% and the cellulose contents was increased to 81.4%. Compared to the raw ramie fiber, the mechanical properties of the degummed fiber were improved (4.03cN/dtex for tenacity, and 4.13% for breaking elongation), and the degummed fiber was loose and clean. In summary, the aqueous ammonia‐ethanol degumming is economically feasible and has great potential for textile industrial application.