Radiation assisted hydrophobization of jute fiber

Hydrophobization of hydrophilic jute fiber, is of great importance as it can expand the applications of jute fiber in many fields. This work reports the hydrophobization of jute fiber by high‐energy radiation treatment which is an easy, single‐step, economical, and environment friendly method. Surface wettability of hydrophilic jute fiber is tuned by attaching long chain hydrocarbon molecules, namely butyl methacrylate, octyl acrylate and lauryl methacrylate, using gamma radiation. Lauryl methacrylate is found to be the most suitable agent among the molecules used for generating desired extent of hydrophobicity. Important reaction parameters, namely total dose, dose rate, monomer concentration, and solvent composition are optimized to achieve the desired degree of modification, for imparting hydrophobicity. Mechanical and thermal analysis reveals that there is no considerable damage to the base structure of fibers during modification. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is supporting evidence of the intactness of fiber after modification. The successful grafting of jute fiber has also been evidenced by SEM. This lauryl methacrylate modified jute can separate oily toxic liquids from aqueous media. The modified jute fiber may get enhanced applications in various fields.