Eco-friendly degumming of natural fibers for textile applications: A comprehensive review

Global fiber production contributes 107 million MT in 2018 and is expected to grow 145 million MT by 2030. Fiber production can be plant-based, animal-based, man-made, and synthetic fibers. Plant-based fibers include jute, ramie, and hemp, have a market share of 5.7% in textile industries. The emerging interest in plant-based fibers, agricultural residues could be addressed by adopting unexplored plant fibers. Textile processing of natural fiber necessitates the removal of the hemicellulosic substance. The major concern of this investigation is the degumming of natural fibers by an eco-friendly method. The ideology is focused on producing hemicellulose degrading enzymes through solid substrate fermentation and utilization of hemicellulose degrading enzymes in natural fiber degumming. Degumming of fiber can be performed by hemicellulose degrading enzymes such as Pectinase, Xylanase, and Laccases. The neglection of the non-cellulosic layer corresponds to an increase in tensile strength, crystallinity, fineness, removal of non-cellulosic substances. The degummed fiber has remarkable applications in fabrication, cutlery application, and textile industries. Our investigation enclosed consolidated reports on the agricultural residues for hemicellulose degrading enzyme production and application of enzymes for natural fiber degumming proclaimed in recent years. The practical difficulties in adopting degummed fibers in textile industries have also been discussed.