Self-extinguishable ligno-cellulosic fabric using banana pseudostem sap

Flame retardancy was imparted to ligno-cellulosic jute textiles using banana pseudostem sap (BPS), an eco-friendly natural by-product obtained during the extraction of fibres from the banana pseudostem. The extracted sap was made alkaline and applied to a pre-mordanted Greige fabric. The flame-retardant p roperties of both the control and treated fabrics were analysed in terms of limiting oxygen index (LOI), horizontal and vertical flammability, and the total heat of combustion. The treated jute fabrics showed a far better flame-retardant property compared to the control fabric. By 1.9 times increase in the LOI after application of the alkaline BPS, the treated fabric (1:4) showed no flame and got self-extinguished within a minute. Based on thermal degradation, pyrolysis and dehydration studies, and analysis of the chemical composition of the flame-retardant finish prepared from the BPS, the mechanism of imparting flame retardancy to jute textiles has been postulated. The imparted finish was found semi-durable in soap wash, and did not cause any significant loss in tensile and tear strength of the fabric.