Development and characterization of biodegradable starch-based fibre by wet extrusion

The man-made fibres have the versatility of required engineered properties. The biodegradability is the need of the day. This study aimed at development of biodegradable starch based fibers using wet extrusion technique. The non-modified natural starch is cost efficient and wet extrusion technique will support bulk production of fibre without any change in chemical structure of material. Multiple additives such as plasticizers and binders were added to the dope solution in different concentrations to study their effect on physical properties, mechanical performance and serviceability of the wet-spun starch fibers. The ranges of additive concentrations in (% wt/v) used to make the dope solutions are as follows: starch; 38–64%, Polyvinyl Alchohol (PVA); 7–23%, glycerol; 18–39% and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS); 0–21%. The developed fibres had linear density in the range of 25 tex–44 tex with fibre diameter of about 247–301 µm. The extruded fibers were characterized for fiber strength, surface morphology, water absorption, and biodegradability. The developed fibres have maximum tenacity of 1.56 cN/tex and water absorbency of 280 g/g. The intended application for these fibres is in medical textiles as wound dressings.