Structure and Property of Mulberry Fiber

In this paper, the chemical ingredients of mulberry bast was tested by quantitative analysis. Our objective was to substitute the slow and difficult to control retting process by a fast and well controlled process, i.e. the two-step boiled process treatment (TSBP) of mulberry bast which was treated by mechanism. During the TSBP treatment the pectin, Lignin and hemicelluloses are hydrolysed and rendered in water or alkali-soluble, the fibers being more easily degummed. The TSBP treatment was among the best conditions for the degumming and individualisation of the fibers. The two-step boiled samples were tested. The results indicated that the length of mulberry fiber is 23.0-35.0mm, fineness is 2.3-3.5 dT, breaking tenacity is 5.0-10.0cN/dT, breaking extension rate is 3.5-5.5%, moisture regain is 9-10%. The samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the morphological aspects of the mulberry fibers are discussed.Structural disruption was observed by X-ray measurement.