Okra bast fiber as potential reinforcement element of biocomposites: Can it be the flax of the future?

Abstract

The cultivation of conventional fiber plants (cotton, flax, etc.) is in risk as more arable land is needed to be allocated for edible plant species to feed growing world’s population. In order to overcome this problem, agricultural residues may be used as an alternative source of natural fibers. Okra plant is an annual species which is grown for its fruit and seeds to be utilized in the food and the pharmaceutical industry. Around 8.6 million tons of okra is produced annually generating a huge amount of plant stems left on the field or incinerated after the plant ceases fruit production. Nevertheless, this stem can be used as a renewable source of natural fibers with properties comparable to conventional bast fibers. Research studies have taken place to characterize okra bast fibers and impart better properties such as fineness, purity, and hydrophobicity via chemical modification methods. The common chemical modifications applied on okra bast fibers include bleaching, alkalization, acetylation, and graft copolymerization. Okra bast fiber is generally considered as reinforcement element for polymer composites, whereas its use in paper pulp and textile fields remains to be searched. © 2017 Scrivener Publishing LLC.