Preparation and Characterization of Bio-Fibre Based on the Biological Properties of Bougainvillaea, Loofah, and Aloe Vera

Abstract

This study is based on environmental sustainability and aims to explore the preparation and evaluation of biodegradable bio-fibre materials using discarded bougainvillaea, loofah, and aloe. After sorting and analyzing the existing literature, it is found that research on bougainvillaea, loofah, and aloe primarily focuses on environmental science, horticulture, biology, light industry, and pharmacy, while research on bio-fabric combining bougainvillaea, loofah, and aloe in two or three combinations remains unexamined. This study adopts both observational and experimental methods to identify candidate varieties suitable for natural dyeing by observing the characteristics of bougainvillaea and by preparing and testing bio-fibre materials through experimentation. Notably, the beet pigment found in bougainvillaea serves as a natural dye, the α-cellulose and hemicellulose in loofah sponge provide strong hydrophilicity, and the caffeic acid and rhamnolipids in aloe exhibit antioxidant and antibacterial properties, thereby improving the fabric’s safety. Experimental results and final bio fibre performance tests indicate that fibres made from these three plants have a stable internal structure, abrasion resistance of over 30,000 cycles, colour fastness concentrated at level 4, and a contact angle of less than 90°, thereby showing good stability, abrasion resistance, colour fastness, and hydrophilicity. Consequently, this study finds that bio-fibres prepared from bougainvillaea, loofah, and aloe demonstrate promising performance and are expected to contribute to the development of sustainable fibres in the future.