Green degumming process of ramie fiber thermal effect and optimization

Abstract

Ramie is a kind of natural fibers, it requires degumming process before it can be used as a raw material for various applications. The traditional treatment uses alkali, which is not an environmentally friendly process. In this paper, ramie fi-bers are degummed using sodium percarbonate, which causes no any negative environmental problems, and its decomposition, hydrogen peroxide, is a clear liquid, it can be used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent and antiseptics for surface treatment of ramie fibers. Effect of temperature and concentration of sodium per-carbonate on the degumming process are studied theoretically and verified ex-perimentally. Finally an optimal degumming process is suggested for maximal weight ratio of degummed ramie fiber to raw bast.