Tensile Characterization of Pre-harvest Treated Pineapple Leaf Fibre

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of field practice on the tensile properties of pineapple leaf fibre (PAFL). The pineapple leaves were treated in the field with calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) at four concentrations (0 mg/l, 100 mg/l, 200 mg/l and 300 mg/l). All the treatments were applied through foliar application, twice monthly, for duration of five months. The pineapple leaves were harvested after five months of the treatment application, and their fibre extracted through the retting method. In addition, the cellulose content of the PALF was determined according to approved method. The extracted fibre was subjected to tensile test, using ASTM International approved methods. Results obtained from the tensile test revealed that the pre-harvested treatment had significant (p ≤0.5) effect on the tensile properties of the PALF. The tensile strength increased from 583.67 MPa to 880.83 MPa; while the Young’s modulus increased from 23.77 GPa to 28.23 GPa, as the treatment concentration increased from 0 mg/l to 300 mg/l. Likewise, the tensile elongation decreased from 3.13 mm to 1.83 mm, as the treatment concentration increased from 0 mg/l to 300 mg/l. In terms of the cellulose content, the study revealed that the cellulose content of the fibre increased significantly (p ≤0.05) with increased in the treatment concentration. At the concentration of 0 mg/l, the PAFL had cellulose content of 63.6%, which increased linearly to 77% at the concentration of 300 mg/l. From these results, it can be seen that field practice greatly increased the potential of PALF in composites production and other industrial applications.