Physical Properties of Grass Fibres

M. Sfiligoj Smole, K. S. Kleinschek, T. Kreže, S. Strnad, M. Mandl and B. Wachter

Abstract
This article presents a detailed study of elementary grass fibres isolated from different grass sorts, i.e. Ryegrass, Wheatgrass, Trefoil and Lucerne. The fibre-samples were obtained in a bio-refinery, after the liquid phase containing proteins and lactic acid was eliminated from the siled and green grasses, respectively. Different processes for grass fibre separation from the rest of the plant were studied (e.g. acidic, alkaline and enzymatic treatment). They showed that, in comparison to the acid hydrolytic decomposition of the pectin structures, alkaline treatment causes some surface damage to isolated fibres but the enzyme treated fibres are of good quality. Additionally, the morphology of the elementary stem and leaf fibres were compared. Characterisation of the fibres regarding physical properties was performed, i.e., geometrical and mechanical properties.

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Keywords
grass fibres, morphology, physical properties