Gel Permeation Characteristics of Jute and Cotton

Abstract

Gel permeation chromatography measurements, which have been used to dem onstrate changes in the pore structure of cotton resulting from chemical modification, were used to compare the pore structures of jute and purified cotton cellulose and to determine the effect of scouring on jute. Both native and scoured jute had greater pore volumes than purified cotton. Scouring effected an increase in the internal volume of the jute fiber over the measured range of pore sizes. Data on the fraction of the total internal water volume accessible to the water molecule itself indicated a similarity between cotton and scoured jute, but these and other data suggested a repelling interaction between the surfaces on the internal pores of native jute and the sugars used as test solutes. This repellant effect is attributed to the presence of lignin on these surfaces.