A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON SOME CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF JUTE AND HIBISCUS FIBRES

A comparative study has been made on the chemical composition as well as on the characteristic functional groups of jute and fibres of the Hibiscus group, namely Mesta, Bimli and Kenaf, with a view to differentiating these fibres on the basis of chemical properties. From analyses of a number of different samples it is confirmed that tilt yield of lignin or holocellulore, obtained from jute, is significantly different from those of other allied fibres. Although a wide variation is observed in the carboxyl, exist­ing in different states, i.e. free and combined, in jute and Hibiscus fibres, no definite conclusion can be drawn from the results obtained. The acetyl content, total acidity and the methoxyl associated with the carbohydrate fraction of jute are significantly lower than those of fibres of the Hibiscus group, and these values may be taken as additional criteria for differentiating jute and other allied fibres. Further, since the acetyl content and the total acidity of Corchorus capsularis fibre (White jute) are considerably high compared with those obtained frost, Corchorus olitorius fibre (Tossa or Daisee jute), it seems possi­ble that from the variations in these values the two botanical species of jute fibre can be differentiated from each other