Extraction and characterization of Retama monosperma fibers

The aims of this study were to determine the good conditions for fibers extraction from Retama monosperma young stems and their mechanical, physical and chemical characteristics. The fibers were extracted using a range of NaOH concentration from 1 to 16% in a period of treatment of 1 to 24 h, coupled with a physical treatment. For the evaluation of physico-mechanical characteristics, 200 samples were performed in the tensile test. The biochemical composition of the fibers was determined after separation of the parietal compounds. The results show that the best fiber yield was 11.51% obtained by a treatment of 14% NaOH for 8 h, followed by a physical treatment. The fibers biocomposition was 87.3% of cellulose, 7.5% of hemicelluloses and 1% of lignin. The Young's modulus was 13.3 GPa, tensile strength was 110 MPa and a density was 1.3 g/cm3. The average fiber length was 155.7 mm. The fibers yield and characteristics showed that R. monosperma plant may in future be suitable source for natural fibers. Key words: Retama monosperma young stems, fibers, extraction, characterization.