I have conducted 5 % concentrated alkaline (NaOH) treatment for my woven natural fiber (HEMP) to remove the impurities and unwanted wax that present in the fiber. To my surprise, after the chemical treatment hemp fiber colour changed as well as diameter of the fiber bundle got increased more than 50 %. Can anyone tell me the reason?
Hemp is mainly composed of polysaccharides (cellulose & hemicellulose) and is higly hydrophilic. Treating with soda will improve access of water beyond the external wall layers of the fibres (S1, S2), which will lead to swelling.
As for the colour, it might be you degraded some coloured impurities within the fibers, but I'm not knowledgeable on annual fibers.
Good day! Apart from cellulose-hemicellulose materials to be hygroscopic (up to 98% of water content), there's possibility that hemicelluloses degraded with NaOH treatment, which resulted tethers to dissolve and cellulose fibers to be distanced. Here's a helpful link:
Article Simultaneous influence of pectin and xyloglucan on structure...
As for the colour changes, should you consider some sort of Maillard, or Maillard-like reactions there?
Thank you for your valuable suggestions Vadym Chibrikov and Pierre Caulet sir. i will go through the article that u have referred...
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