Natural Fiber

Agave sisalana

Name: Dwayne Marsh Course: 24K ID#: 607002036

Sisal is a natural fiber (Agave sisalana) of Agavaceae (Agave) family and is native to Mexico7. The strands are usually creamy white, average from 80 to 120 cm in length and 0.2 to 0.4 mm in diameter; derived from the leaves of the plant. It is usually obtained by machine decortications in which the leaf is crushed between rollers and then mechanically scraped. The fibre is then washed and dried by mechanical or natural means5.

Morphology
The sisal fibers (Agave sisalana) are extracted from the sisal plant leaves in the form of long fiber bundles called technical fibers2. A sisal fiber in cross-section is built up of about 100 fiber cells2. A sisal plant produces from 200 to 250 leaves before flowering. Each of them contains approximately 7001400 fiber bundles with a length of 0.51.0 m2. The sisal leaf is a sandwich structure composed of 4% fiber, 0.75% cuticle, 8% dry matter and 87.25% water2. Three types of fibers reinforce the leaf: structural, arch and xylem. The structural fibers give the sisal leaf its stiffness and they are found in the periphery of the leaf2.

Chemical composition: 70% cellulose: the degree of cellulose polymerisation is 25,0002. 12% hemicelluloses: are chemically linked or partly inter connected and oriented with the cellulose molecules and present a relatively low degree of polymerization (lies between 50 and 200) and are soluble in alkalis and occur mainly in the primary wall.2 10% lignin: 25% is found in the middle lamella (Since the middle lamella is very thin, the

concentration of lignin is correspondingly high 70%) of the fiber and in the walls of the fibrillae. Their degree of polymerization is 60 and the lignin can be broken down or leached out in alkaline environment2. 2% pectin waxes and fat2.

Sisal Structure
Figure1: Fiber-cell microstructure: (a) Cross-section view showing the fiber-cells, lumens and middle lamellae
(b) Magnification of the cross-section (c) Schematic drawing showing the different layers of an individual fiber-cell.

(Figure from Construction and Building Materials Volume 23, issue 6, June 2009. Durability of compression molded sisal fiber reinforced mortar laminates (online). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article).

1. The cell walls consist of several layers of fibrillar. In the primary wall, the fibrillae have a reticulated structure6. 2. In the outer secondary wall (S1), which is located inside the primary wall, the fibrillae are arranged in spirals with a spiral angle of 40 (for sisal fibre) in relation to the longitudinal axis of the cell6. 3. The fibrillae in the inner secondary wall (S2) of sisal fibres have a sharper slope, 18 to 256. 4. The thin, innermost, tertiary wall has a parallel fibrillar structure and encloses the lumen6. 5. The fibrillae are, in turn, built up of micro-fibrillae with a thickness of about 20m6. 6. The microfibrillae are composed of cellulose molecular chains with a thickness of 0.7m and a length of a few m6.

Applications and Features

Sisal fibre grade Lower grade: Medium Common traditional use
mainly used in paper industry

Suitable Features

High content of cellulose and hemicelluloses5. Cordage industry for making: ropes, Sisal is valued for cordage use baler and binders twine. because of its strength, durability, ability to stretch, affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to deterioration in saltwater5. after treatment is converted into Sisal is fairly coarse and inflexible yarns and used by the carpet so the sisal fiber can be long or industry short5.

High grade

Relatively new, developed, developing or untraditional applications Furniture and wall tiles made of resonated sisal6. Sisal reinforced composites are used in the internal linings of vehicles, the sides of car doors, package holders, panels, ceilings, wheel wells, consoles, skid plates etc. Strengthening agent to replace asbestos and fiberglass as well as an environmentally friendly component in the automobile industry6. Sisal fibre as reinforcing agent in polymer based composites: Sisalfibers have good potential as reinforcements in polymer (thermoplastics, thermosets and rubbers) composites6. Source of raw material in plastic industry6. Sisal fibre is used in geotextiles as sandwiching the natural component between layers of polypropylene or polyester6. In construction industry sisal fibres are used as reinforcement. In matrices of cement, plaster and concrete the main contribution of sisal fibres is to hold the cracked areas of the matrix together6. Other products developed from sisal fiber include spa products, cat scratching posts, lumbar support belts, rugs, slippers, cloths, disc buffers, hand bags, jewel boxes, hot pads, pet toys etc6.

Properties
Properties Generally the fiber is exceptionally durable with a low maintenance with minimal wear and tear and it is recyclable7. Anti-static: does not attract or trap dust particles and does not absorb moisture or water easily7. The fine texture takes dyes easily and offers the largest range of dyed colors of all natural fibers. Exhibits good sound and impact absorbing properties7.

Table 1: The comparison of the properties of fibers to that of glass fiber.

(Table from Natural Fibre Composites (pdf). http://www.fao.org (accessed February 28, 2012)).

From the table above it can be clearly be seen that sisal compared to other fibres while not exceptionally great or best performing in a particular area, it is however not weak in none (tend to lie in the moderate region of each area near an average between weak and strong) which makes it on a whole one of the best fibres for broad range of applications. However the draw backs are that sisal is not recommended for areas that receive wet spills, or rain or snow. Its fiber absorbs air humidity leading to a small amount of expanding and contracting (rugs and unsecured edges may curl). Also Sisal fiber is too tough for textiles and fabrics an also not suitable for smooth wall finish.

Sisal Processing
Sisal is cultivated for fibre in Brazil, China, Cuba, Kenya, Haiti, Madagascar, and Mexico. Production patterns differ between counties. In Tanzania and Kenya sisal is predominantly a plantation crop, while production in Brazil is largely small-scale4. Additionally produced in Indonesia, Thailand, Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa. Production and trade4: as at 2009 World production of sisal and a similar agave fibre, henequen, is estimated at around 300 000 tonnes. The major producers are Brazil (120 000 tonnes), Tanzania (30 000) and Kenya (25 000) in which most of the production (over 60%) is exported. Brazil exports around 100 000 tonnes of raw fibre and manufactured. Kenya exports around 20 000 tonnes. Tanzania 15 000 tonnes. The production figures given above are the result of stiff completion of synthetic fibres which have reduced demand and therefore production of sisal fibers form over the past years.World production of sisal and henequen reached more than 800 000 tonnes in 1965 before reduction due to synthetic fibers substitution, production in Africa in particular declined during that period from more than 400 000 tonnes to less than 50 000 tonnes1.

Manufacturing Process of Sisal Fiber: Sisal fiber made from the process of Decortication, leaves are crushed and beaten by a rotating wheel set with blunt knives, so that only fibers remain. The other parts of the leaf are washed away by water. Decorticated fibers are washed before drying the sun or by hot air. The fiber quality depends upon moisture content so proper drying is important. To get better grades of fiber artificial drying has been found in place of sun drying. Dry fibers are machine combed and sorted into various grades, largely on the basis of the previous in-field separation of leaves into size groups6. Basic applications to composite materials: Composites are hybrid materials made of a polymer resin reinforced by fibres, combining the high mechanical and physical performance of the fibres and the appearance, bonding and physical properties of polymers3.

Fibre

resin

composite material

By changing the direction of the fibres in the resin, the material properties can be tailored to the external loads. To optimise the construction multiple adjusted layers (laminae) can be used to form a laminate3.

By this joining, the poor capabilities and drawbacks of the individual components disappear3.

Sisal waste considerations

Sisal is heavily developed in utilization of the extracted fibre which is only 2% of plant. The remaining percentage is biomass and short fibres which are considered as waste1. There are generally no negative impacts of the waste on the environment but the large quantity of biomass waste is the issue itself where disposal/location could be considerable in large scale production. It is estimated that of 300000 tons of sisal fibre product extracted from the sisal plant, 15000000 million tons of waste material is generated1. This means that 50 million ton waste for every 1 ton fibre! Currently the development of effective utilization of the waste is being applied to1:

Energy - biogas and electricity Animal feed Organic soil improver Pharmaceuticals Raw material for bags and padding

However from these stated utilization an organized commercial prototype* is needed and efforts are being made to do this. This is bound to increase the return per hectare and make sisal fibre more competitive thus opening up further commercial applications1.

*Focus is to use the biomass as the primary initiative and not just a means of waste management of
sisal fibre production.

REFERENCES 1. Common Fund for Commodities - Alternative Applications for Sisal and Henequen - Technical Paper No. 14. http://www.fao.org (accessed March 20, 2012). 2. Construction and Building Materials Volume 23, issue 6, June 2009. Durability of compression molded sisal fiber reinforced mortar laminates (online). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article (accessed Feb. 28, 2012). 3. Natural Fibre Composites (pdf). http://www.fao.org (accessed Feb. 28, 2012). 4. Natural fibres Sisal. http://www.naturalfibres2009.org (accessed March 18, 2012). 5. Sisal fibre. http://www.sisal.ws/page6/page7/page7.html (accessed March 19, 2012). 6. Sisal fibre: an overview. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article(accessed, Feb. 27, 2012). 7. Sisal a Natural Fibre. http://www.worldjute.com (accessed, Feb.27, 2012).