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In this study, the effect of the environmentally friendly slaked lime solution on the tensile strength of maize stem fibers was investigated and compared with the tensile strength obtained with a 3% wt NaOH and 10% wt NaHCO 3  solutions. Maize fibers from dried stems were manually extracted, cleaned, and treated with the respective three solutions at different soaking periods. The results showed that a maximum increase in tensile strength of 165.1% was obtained with the NaOH treatment (at 24 hours) followed by an increase of 107.1% (at 21 hours) for the Ca(OH) 2,  and a 46.6% (at 18 hours) increase for the NaHCO 3  treatment. Analysis of the FTIR spectra revealed that the significant improvement in the tensile strength for the NaOH treatment is attributed to the partial transformation of cellulose I to cellulose II. However, the increase in the strength of the Ca(OH) 2 -treated fibers has been attributed first, to the significant reduction in the fiber cross-sectional area, second, to the removal of specific amorphous constituents such as hemicellulose, and to the formation of a stable calcium pectinate layer, which improves the fiber’s resistance to fracture.

Slaked Lime Solution as a Viable Eco-friendly Treatment to Improve the Tensile Strength of Maize Stem Fibers