EFFECT OF MICROBIAL RETTING ON CROTALARIA-JUNCEA (SUNHEMP) FIBER PROPERTIES

Microbial retting of sunhemp was carried out using various strains of Aspergillus niger and Bacillus subtilis. The effect of concentration o f the microbial strains and the time of retting on the mechanical prop erties of the retted fibers was studied. The retting time was reduced from 7 or more days in water with naturally-occurring water microorgan isms to 4 days with the known microbes in distilled water. The tensile strength of the fibers increased with an increase in the amount of in oculum up to a certain limit, after which it decreased. Thus, controll ed microbial retting of sunhemp is a viable method for the production of fibers of greater tensile strength than those produced by the tradi tional method.