Extraction of Pineapple Leaf Fiber Using Household High-Pressure Water Washer

Pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) were extracted by high-pressure water (HPW) using a household car washer with a cyclone jet nozzle. High-pressure water was sprayed along the leaf, which was secured on a concrete surface 7 cm away from the nozzle, extracting 3.0% fiber from a 36-cm section in 20 s. The PALF phase was observed by scanning electron microscopy, revealing that fibers obtained by HPW had almost no surface adhesions, while those obtained using decorticator machines had many scale-like attachments. No difference was observed in the fracture strain; however, the HPW-extracted fibers had a higher elastic modulus and maximum stress. The measured α-cellulose content for the fibers was 71.2 ± 0.8% for HPW and 55.4 ± 0.1% for the decorticator machine. The lignin coloration images showed that lignin remained in the PALF extracted by the decorticator machine, whereas no lignin residue was observed in the PALF extracted by HPW. The absolute CIE tint index (TCIE) value for the HPW sample, recorded at 10°-view angle, was lower than that for the decorticator sample, indicating that the HPW samples were closer to white and exhibited a lighter tint than the decorticator sample.