A Preliminary Study on the Development of Banana-Fiber Based Sanitary Pad: Preparation, Characteristics and Physical Properties

Thirumoortey, Sarmitha (2023) A Preliminary Study on the Development of Banana-Fiber Based Sanitary Pad: Preparation, Characteristics and Physical Properties. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

Menstruation is a natural biological process experienced by half of the world’s population at reproductive age. In recent years, plastic materials have been used as the core absorbent layer in a common menstrual management product, the disposable sanitary pad, leading to high environmental footprint. In addition, period poverty is a significant concern in lower -income groups. Banana pseudo-stem constitutes agro-waste biomass after harvesting. The objective of this study is to explore the potential of using waste cellulose materials from Cavendish banana pseudo-stem as an alternative absorbent core for sanitary pads. Banana fiber was chemically extracted by heating with 3% sodium hydroxide. After blending and drying, a prototype pad was assembled using the fluff fiber based on the dimensions of a commercial pad. Chemical and structural properties of the banana fiber were examined using chemical extraction, FTIR and scanning electron microscopy. The suitability of the prototype pad was evaluated by comparing to the commercial pad in six performance criteria. The results showed that the prototype pad was significantly better than the commercial pad in absorption capacity (81.34 ± 4.4 mL) and moisture retention (17.82 ± 0.71 mL). However, in the strike through test commercial pad was significantly better (0.07s ± 0.01), better than the banana fiber. The amount of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin was 12.61%, 71.08% and 7.67%, respectively . FTIR of the treated and untreated banana fiber showed the effect of extraction. This exploratory study has provided some indications that the banana fiber has the potential as the natural fiber of choice for this application with some improvements. Keywords: Banana fiber, FTIR, Menstruation