Coir fiber, a tough natural lignocellulosic fiber, has widespread uses but is restricted due to its high tensile strength and flexural rigidity. Bioprocessing, particularly softening and bleaching is a common technique in the coir trade, which currently uses chemical processes that are not environmentally friendly. The current approach targets coir fiber processing with Kozakonia oryzendophytica and Pseudomonas chengduensis isolated from the termite gutfor the delignification followed by the treatment with Averrhoa bilimbi extract to obtain softened and bleached coir fibers. The physical and chemical assessment of the treated fibers, including variations in lignin content, and flexural rigidity to assess softness, light fastness, Fourier-Transform InfraRed, and tensile strength, was carried out. The lignin presents in the treated coir fibers dropped significantly from 46% to 31.1%. The flexural rigidity was reduced from 1.12 to 0.53 which caused the upsurge in the degree of softness. The brightness index increased from 9.45 to 13.49. The scanning electron microscope images show that exterior protrusions on the fiber had been removed after treatment. Thus, the present investigation discovers a trajectory for a biological method of coir fiber softening.
Key words: softening, bleaching, tensile strength, flexural rigidity, eco-friendly
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