Comparison of Morphological and Chemical Properties ofMusa VelutinaFiber Extracted through Different Extraction Method

Natural fibers are being used for the last few decades as an alternative to synthetic fibers for their eco-friendly nature. But still, there is a scientific gap to address cost-effective and environmentally sustainable fiber extraction method with minimum waste production. Therefore, a study was carried out on the extraction of fiber from naturally occurring Musa velutina (wild banana plant) adopting different extraction methods. Wild banana plant fiber was extracted by chemical and biological process. Chemical extraction was carried out using Sodium hydroxide at two different concentrations (3% and 5%). The temperature was maintained at 100 ± 50°C and the bath ratio maintained at 1:7 for 2 h. Fiber yield was obtained from 20.32% to 22.56% for both concentrations. Similarly, the biological retting process was also executed using potential lignolytic bacterial (e.g. Bacillusacidicola) and fungal (e.g. Chaetomium sp.) strains. Fiber yield in the biological process was obtained at the range 21.32–31.02%. Proximate chemical analysis and SEM of extracted fiber were determined. Among the methods, the biological extraction method is found suitable in comparison to the chemical process.