Changes in composition, structure, and properties of jute fibers after chemical treatments

The composition, structure, physicochemical properties, and optical properties of the raw jute and the treated jute were studied in this work. The results of FT-IR and SEM indicated that both alkali scouring and hydrogen peroxide bleaching exhibited good ability to remove non-cellulose materials, and the results were further confirmed by the composition analysis. Changes in fineness and moisture regain were obviously affected by the degree of non-cellulose removal. The XRD results showed that there was no crystalline transformation of the crystalline structure when the jute was treated under the applied condition. However, the crystallinity index of all the treated samples increased in comparison with the raw jute, which induced the change of mechanical properties. The brightness index and the whiteness index were greatly affected by bleaching rather than alkali scouring. Furthermore, there was a formidable decrease in the yellowness index when the jute was bleached.