Jute Retting Using Free-flowing Water with Microbial Consortium Minimizes Water Requirement and Water Pollution

Jute retting is a process of bio-degradation of non-cellulosic materials primarily pectin and xylan by the enzymatic action of microbes present in retting water to get the jute fibre. The present study focused on the assessment of three improved retting methods comparing with the conventional retting method of jute for identification of the appropriate retting method which can be acceptable to the majority of the jute growers facing water scarcity and irregular rainfall pattern during the retting period. The jute retting with free-flowing water and conventional retting method of jute required 7135 and 25,840 L of water, respectively, for per quintal dry jute fibre production indicating the superiority of the former. The fibre recovery of the jute retting method with free-flowing water was significantly higher by 6.0, 7.5 and 22.4%, respectively, over in situ retting, retting in concrete retting tank using stagnant water and conventional retting methods. The post-retting water quality characteristics like EC (0.54 dS/m), Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ (35.8 mg/L), BOD (biological oxygen demand) (45.1 mg/L), COD (chemical oxygen demand) (157.6 mg/L), chloride (4.2 mg/L) and hardness (65 mg/L) content recorded in the jute retting method with free-flowing water were significantly lower compared to other retting methods. The use of microbial retting consortium “CRIJAF SONA” accelerated the biodegradation process of jute by reducing the retting time of 6 to 10 days under improved retting methods besides fibre quality improvement. The higher fibre strength of 26.5 g/tex, the minimum root content (2.3%) and defect content (0.55%) of jute fibre obtained under jute retting method using free-flowing water reflect its supremacy over other retting methods under study. Hence, the jute retting method with free-flowing water may be implemented for the production of superior quality jute fibre considering the non-availability of water or irregular rainfall pattern of the jute-producing belts of South East Asia.