Sisal Fiber Of Agave H11648 as A Potential Raw Material For EcoFriendly Textile

Sisal (Agave sisalana) is one of the most interesting fiber plants. Sisal fiber
has good quality due to its physical characteristics such as shiny yellowish white
color, strong, saltwater resistant, and eco-friendly raw material. The sisal fiber is
biodegradable. In addition, the plant has also an important rule in improving land
productivity. It contains 63.78% of alpha cellulose, 94.35% of holocellulose, 20.91%
of pentosan and 4.76% of lignin. Usually, sisal fiber is used for carpet, mat, rope,
bag and other handicrafts. With some treatments, sisal fabric quality can be
improved to produce good quality textile. H 11468, a hybrid of A. amaniensis Trel.
and Nowell × A. angustifolia Haw x A. amaniensis, is one of the most popular Agave
fiber plants in the world. In Indonesia, it has been grown in an area of 800 ha of
West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, with total production approximately 5.57-
ton dry fiber/year in the fourth year of planting. The bundle strength of the fiber
achieved 31.36 g/tex. The individual fiber has intermediate length : width ratio
(184.35). Sisal fiber has tenacity 40-49 cN/tex, strain 2-3%, initial modulus 25-26
N/tex, and tensile strength 510-635 N/mm2. The fiber can be used for clothing,
domestic use, geotextile, and others coarser material.