Bleaching of kenaf and cornhusk fibers

Kenaf and cornhusk fibers have been bleached to CIE whiteness indexes of 66 and 74, respectively, without using any optical brighteners. A delignification process prior to bleaching has been used to partially remove the lignin from the fibers without affecting other fiber properties. Bleaching variables such as the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, time, temperature, and pH have been optimized for both the kenaf and cornhusk fibers. The effects of various bleaching parameters on the whiteness index and the breaking tenacity of the fibers have been reported. The whiteness of kenaf fibers reported here is high compared to the whiteness achieved by other bleaching processes developed earlier.