Critical Investigation of Abelmoschus Esculentus (Indian Okra) Fiber Characteristics

Abstract Okra fiber is the bast fiber, extracted from the stem of the Abelmoschus esculentus plant which belongs to the Malvaceae family. In the whole world, India is the largest producer of okra for the cultivation of “okra fruit”, which is one of the main vegetables in the Indian Diet. After harvesting the okra plant on the field, the okra fruit is collected as a vegetable, and the okra plant is thrown out as agricultural waste. The stem of the okra plant is an abundant source of okra fiber. In India, an estimated 45.34 lakh metric tons of green okra plants were discarded annually as agricultural waste which can be used for technical okra fiber extraction. In India, the okra plant has the potential to produce 150-160 Kg of okra fiber per hectare and about 134 lakh Kg okra fiber annually. To prove the suitability of Indian okra fiber (IOF) for commercial applications like jute, flax, hemp, and kenaf fiber this study was formulated. In this study, characteristics of Indian okra fiber (morphological, thermal, and structural) are investigated by optical and electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG, DTG, DSC), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) respectively. Also, the study guides the Indian farmer to generate additional income with the cultivation of the okra plant by extraction of the Indian okra fiber.