The invention generally relates to synthesis of plant based textile fibre. More specifically, it pertains to a fibre from stem of Cascabelathevetia plant and method thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cascabelathevetia is also known as Thevetiaperuviana and yellow oleander. It is an evergreen tropical shrub or small tree belonging to Apocynaceae family or Dogbane family. Cascabelathevetia is native to Mexico and Central America. It is also found in various states of India such as Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal Rajasthan etc. Cascabelathevetia is widely cultivated as an Ornamental plant. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascabela_thevetia)

Cascabelathevetia contains cardiac glycosides that are toxic to cardiac myocytes and autonomic nervous system. Ingestion of its seeds results in poisoning similar to digoxin toxicity.

Despite of having toxic effects, this plant is widely used in medicinal field. This plant contains so many phytochemical properties and has been explored for medicinal preparations for eye infections as well as for fever, leprosy, and hemorrhoids. Bark preparations of this plant are also used to treat certain diseases such as fevers, burns, ringworm, and rashes. Bark and seeds are used for a purgative and heart tonic.

Cascabelathevetia also possesses certain textile based applications, as this plant comprises of yellow pigmented flowers. These flowers are used for extraction of natural dyes which are further used for dyeing of cotton fabric or other fabric material.
Present invention does not disclose any medicinal property or dye based properties of the said plant but discloses a fibre obtained from the outer layer of stem of Cascabelathevetia plant which can be utilized in textile sector and medical textile field such as for preparation of bed sheets, carpets, face mask, personal protective equipment etc.

Terms and Definitions:

1.Retting: Retting is a process by which pectic material or gum which helps in the binding of the fibre are broken down by softening the plant tissues, which results in the loosening and separation of the fibre from the stem. Retting can be performed in two ways: Tank retting and chemical retting. In Tank retting, water filled tank is used, where water causes the softening of the plant tissues. In case of chemical retting, certain chemicals such as Sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, Hydrochloric acid etc are used for the softening of tissue and liberation of plant based textile fibre.

2.Woolen Carding machine: Carding machine is used to organize the scoured fiber. The carder disentangles the unorganized tufts and aligns the individual fibres into parallel arrangement.

3.Moisture Regain: Moisture regain is defined as the percentage of water present in a textile material of oven dry weight. The percentage of moisture in a textile material is brought into equilibrium with a standard atmosphere after partial drying and calculated as a percentage of the moisture-free weight. (https://diutestudents.blogspot.com/2018/04/moisture-regain-moisture-regain-is.htm).

Before going into the details of the invention, the related prior arts are stated below:

Prior art
Patent Application No: TWI622682B discloses “Nonwoven fabric and its making method and use”
The above invention discloses a process of manufacturing non-woven textile fabric, which mainly comprises individualized bastfibres. Bastfibres are found in flax, hemp, jute, ramie, nettle, Spanish broom, and stalks of kenaf plants.A method of manufacturing a non-woven fabric comprising substantially individualized bastfibres that are substantially free of pectin and have an average length of less than 6 millimeters, the method comprising chemically treating naturally occurring fibres bundled by pectin.The pectin is removed and substantially individualized fibres are formed. The method includes cutting or otherwise reducing the average fibre length to less than 6 mm. Substantial individualized fibre system dry-laid (dry-laid) (or air laid) to form a randomly arranged fibrous web (i.e., formed as an unbounded web in a dry state) and then bonded to form a non-woven fabric. 

The present invention is different from the above invention. The present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant for utilization in textile sector and medical textile industry like manufacturing of bed sheets, carpets, face mask, personal protective equipment etc. If production requirement is high, then chemical retting process can be used otherwise simple tank retting could be used.

Patent ApplicationNo.US7887672B2 discloses “Method for making natural cellulosic fibre bundles from cellulosic sources”
The above invention relates to the field of fibres and products made from fibres, specifically to a novel method for the production of natural cellulosic fibre bundles from stalks (stems or straws), leaves, and husks of cellulose sources such as corn, switch grass, sorghum, rice, wheat, soybean, cotton, and barley that are suitable for, among other things, textile applications, non-woven mats and filters, and fibre reinforced composites. A method for extracting natural cellulosic fibre bundles from wheat straw, which comprises wax on its surface, the method comprising performing a detergent treatment on the wheat straw to remove at least a portion of the wax from the surface of the wheat straw, performing an alkali treatment on the detergent-treated wheat straw to partially delignify the wheat straw and performing an enzyme treatment on the detergent-treated wheat straw to de-polymerized hemi cellulose, break covalent links between lignin and carbohydrates, and decompose cellulose chains in the wheat straw, or a combination thereof thereby yielding the extracted natural cellulosic fibre bundles, wherein said extracted natural cellulosic fibre bundles have a length that is greater than that of individual cells and a fineness of at least about 1 denier and no greater than about 300 denier.

The present invention is totally different from the above invention. The present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant for utilization textile sector and in medical textile industry like manufacturing of bed sheets, carpets, face mask, personal protective equipment etc. The manufacturing process of present invention comprises of harvesting, retting i.e. tank retting and chemical retting (3% sodium hydroxide hot alkali treatment at boiling temperature for 5-7 hours), washing, sun drying the final step of passing fibre to woolen carding machine. The length of fibre is 5 to 30mm. Hence, the present invention is different from the above invention. Alkali treatment is being used for extraction by using 3% sodium hydroxide at boiling temperature for 5-7 hours. Enzymes are not used because use of enzymes causes the degradation of the plant and does not result in fibre production. As the density of the fiber is low i.e., about 1.2 g/cc, It indicates the fineness of the extracted fiber.
Patent Application No.US9926654B2 discloses “Nonwoven fabrics comprised of individualized bast fibers”
The above invention discloses a method of making a nonwoven fabric comprising a majority of individualized fibers which are substantially straight, plant-based, and substantially pectin-free and have a mean length greater than 6 mm comprises chemically treating naturally occurring fibers bundled with pectin to substantially remove pectin and form substantially individualized fibers. The substantially individualized fibers are carded to form a randomly arrayed fiber web and then bonded to form the nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric of the above invention can be incorporated into a laminate comprising the nonwoven fabric and a film. Laminates can be used in a wide variety of applications, such outer-covers for personal care products and absorbent articles, for example diapers, training paints, incontinence garments, feminine hygiene products, wound dressings, bandages, and the like

The present invention is different from the above invention. The present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of Cascabela thevetia plant for utilization in textile sector and medical industry for manufacturing of bed sheets, carpets, face mask, personal protective equipment etc. The manufacturing process of present invention comprises of harvesting, retting i.e. tank retting and chemical retting (3% sodium hydroxide hot alkali treatment at boiling temperature for 5-7 hours), washing, sun drying the final step of passing fibre to woolen carding machine. The length of Cascabela thevetia fibre is 5 to 30 mm. Hence, the present invention is different from the above invention.
Patent Application No. discloses “Cotton, hemp and flax air spinning fabric manufacturing method”
The above invention discloses a method of manufacturing of a cotton and hemp and flax open-end spinning fabric, it is characterized in that: described fabric is formed by warp and weft interweaving, described warp thread is by cotton fibre, hemp and flax composition, The manufacturing method comprises of following steps like preparing of raw material, opening picking, combing and parallel cotton fibres prior to spinning, drafting, open-end spinning, warping, sizing, gaiting, weaving, perching followed by end step of de-starching.

The present invention is different from the above invention. The present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant. The raw material in both the inventions is different and fibre from cascabela thevetia plant has never been explored whereas above invention is a blend of cotton fibre, hemp and flax composition. Hence, the present invention is different from the above invention.

Journals, Books and Publications
Mohd. Yusuf (ed.), handbook of renewable materials for coloration and finishing, (9-18) 2018 Scrivener Publishing LLC.
In this book, extraction and processing stages of bio based fibres has been disclosed. The bio fibres are extracted from the natural sources like plants, animals and minerals. Plant fibres consist of seed fibres (cotton, calotropis and kapok), leaf fibres (date palm, pine apple, banana and agave), and bastfibres (kenaf, ramie, flax, jute, rattan and vine fibres). All raw form of bio fibres are extracted from its origin source and undergo various processing stages. The following steps are extraction of bio fibres, bundle stalk, water retting, strepping, washing, squeezing process, sundry, bailing, Kutch packing, storage/ transport.
The present invention is different from the above cited disclosure which simply discloses general processing steps for extraction of bio fibres but specifically no disclosure is made as to all operating conditions and processes needed for fibre extraction from stem of cascabela thevetia plant.
Jonathan Y.Chen and Frank Liu. Bast Fibres: From Plants to Products. CAB international 2010. Industrial crops and uses (ed. Bharat P. Singh)
In this book, bast harvesting and extraction steps are involved. Some integrated automatic fibre processing lines are commercially available. These processing lines have the following common mechanical units: bale opening, stalk breaking, fibres cutching, sorting, line fibre cutting and bale press. Tow fibre can also be pressed for packing after further cleaning and carding.
The present invention is different from the above cited disclosure, as in the present invention a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant with quite high cellulose content is disclosed.

Paridah Md. Tahir, Amel B. Ahmed, Syeed O.A. SaifulAzry, and Zakiah Ahmed. Retting process of somebast plant fibres and its effect on fibre quality: A Review. Bio Resources 6(4), 5260-5280, 2011.
In this paper, retting process of some bast plant fibers like sisal, ramie, bamboo, kapok, pineapple, coir, hemp, kenaf has been disclosed. Effects of Retting on fibre quality are explored.
The present invention is different from the above invention, as in the present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant. Process of retting is used in present invention but it is so optimized that the resultant fibre is of good quality and fibre length is comparable to any other available plant based fibre. Also the cellulose content of the extracted fiber is quite high as compared to the fiber extracted from other material.

S Solomon, N Muruganantham and MM Senthamilselvi: Antimicrobial activity of Cascabelathevetia (Flowers): Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry: 2016
The present study discloses process to investigate the antimicrobial effect of the compound isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of flowers of Cascabela thevetia. This compound was shown to possess antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi.
The present invention is different from the above invention, as in the present invention discloses a simple process of developing fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant for utilization in textile sector and medical industry

OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to disclose a method of extraction of textile fibre from stem of Cascabela thevetia and the product thereof.

Another objective of the present invention is to disclose a fibre obtained from Cascabela thevetia having a length of 5 mm-30 mm and 7.5-9 % Moisture regain.

One more object of the present invention is to disclose Textile fibre extracted from Cascabela thevetia with high cellulose content 82.4% and Low density i.e., 1.2 g/cc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The Yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia) is an ornamental tree of the Apocynaceae family that is common throughout the tropics. Basically the flowers of Cascabela thevetia plants are of different colours such as yellow, orange and white. It contains cardiac glycosides that are toxic to cardiac myocytes and autonomic nervous system. Ingestion of its seeds results in poisoning similar to digoxin toxicity. This plant contains so many phytochemical properties and has been explored for medicinal preparations for eye infections as well as for fever, leprosy, and hemorrhoids. Bark preparations are used for fevers, burns, ringworm, and rashes. Bark and seeds are used for a purgative and heart tonic.
Present invention does not disclose any medicinal property of the said plant but discloses a fibre from the outer layer of stem of Cascabela thevetia plant which can be utilized in textile sector and medical industries for manufacturing of bed sheets, carpets, face mask, personal protective equipment etc. The manufacturing process of present invention comprises of harvesting, retting i.e. tank retting and chemical retting (3% sodium hydroxide at boiling temperature (hot alkali treatment) for 5-7 hours), washing, sun drying and the final step of passing fibre to woolen carding machine. The average length of a Cascabela thevetia fibre is 5 mm-30mm; moisture regain is 7.5-9 % at standard conditions and is much similar to cotton fibre properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 : Cascabela thevetia Fibre
Figure 2: Microscopic view of Cascabela thevetia fibre
Figure 3: Scanning Electron microscopic (SEM) image of Cascabela thevetia fibre bundles.
Figure 4: Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) image of single Cascabela thevetia fibre.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description is of best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. The description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense.
The present invention discloses a method of extraction of Textile fibre from stem of Cascabela thevetia and product thereof. Prior to this invention, Yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia) was only used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes otherwise; the flowers of this plant were used for the preparation of natural dyes for dyeing of cotton or other fibres. In present invention, the inventors disclose the utilization of Cascabela thevetia stem for the extraction of textile based fibre, which is not disclosed is any of the prior art patents or literature.
Cultivation: The cascabela thevetia plant can be cultivated in gardens, yards or parks as it does not require specialized growth conditions. It can grow well in poor, dry or moderately saline soils. These plants are shallow rooted, hence must be positioned in such a way that they remain protected from strong winds.

The stepwise process for fibre extraction is as follows:
1.Harvesting: The stems of the cascabela thevetia are harvested manually. Further the outer layer of stem is removed using hands and the outer layers are arranged in the form of bundles of approximate 1 kg weight.

2.Retting: The bundles are kept in water tank or tanks comprising chemical solution for the process of retting, which results in the softening of the plant tissues and liberation of the fibre form the stem of cascabela thevetia. Retting can be performed in two ways:
Tank retting: In this, the prepared bundles are immersed in tank full of water. The bundles are checked regularly i.e., after 2 days, after 7 days and 14 days. After retting, the bundles are removed from the water tank and mixed together.
Or
Chemical retting: In this process, the bundles of stem are softened by boiling them is 3% sodium hydroxide solution at boiling temperature for about 5-7 hours. Enzymes are not used in chemical retting, because enzymes cause the degradation of the plant tissues.

3.Washing: After retting, the extracted fibres are washed twice using cold or plain water for removal of unwanted chemicals from the fibres.

4.Sun Drying: The extracted fibres are finally dried under direct sunlight for about 2 to 3 days.

5.Carding: The last step is the carding of the extracted fibres. The obtained fibre is passed through woolen carding machine. The carder disentangles the unorganized tuft and aligns fibres into parallel arrangement.

Microscopic examination of Obtained fibre: The extracted Cascabella thevetia fibres are further observed under Simple microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Under microscope, Rod like structure of extracted fiber was observed.
Chemical composition of Cascabela thevetia Fibre: The fibre obtained from cascabela thevetia was further analysed for chemical composition such as for determination of Cellulosic content, hemicellulosic content, Lignin and pectin content and other oil, wax and ash content. It was observed that the cellulosic content of cascabela thevetia fibre is more as compared to other fibres obtained from Sisal, Ramie, Jute flax, hemp, Pineapple, abaca fibre etc. Moreover, the cellulosic content and moisture regain (%) of obtained cascabela thevetia fibre is same as of cotton fibre. (Table 1)
Table 1: Chemical composition (%) of Cascabelathevetia fibre

Chemical composition Cascabela thevetia fibre
Cellulose 82.4 %
Hemi cellulose 11.9 %
Lignin 5.3 %
Pectin 2.4 %
Oil and Wax 1.1 %
Ash 1.2 %
Physical properties of Cascabela thevetia Fibre
Further, the physical properties such as color, length, diameter, moisture regain, elongation break, content, density etc were determined .Cream coloured shiny and soft fibre were obtained with a length of about 5mm (min) to 30 mm (max). The strength of the obtained fibre is similar to that of wool, bamboo and coconut fibres. The Cascabela thevetia fibre density is low as compared to sisal, jute flax, ramie, abala, coir, pineapple and cotton fibres.

Table 2 : Physical properties of Cascabela thevetia fibre
Physical properties Cascabela thevetia fibre
Colour Creamy shine
Length (mm) 5- 30
Diameter (µm) 21
Single fibre Strength (Mpa) 141
Elongation break (%) 3.4
Moisture regain (%) 7.5- 9
Moisture content (%) 6.9
Density (g/cc) 1.2

Table 3: Single Fiber Strength and Elongation

Further, the comparative analysis was performed to compare the physical and chemical properties of the obtained Cascabela thevetia fiber with other already existing plant fibers such as Hemp, Jute, Ramie, Coir, Sisal, Pineapple, Abaca, Cotton etc.
Table 4: Comparative Analysis

S. No. Fiber Cellulose Hemi-cellulose Lignin Pectin Wax and fat (%) Moisture regain (%) Density (g/cm³) Strength (Mpa)
1. Hemp 73-77% 7-9% 4-6% 2.9% 0.9 12 0.83 450-690
2. Jute 65% 22% 12.5% 1.5% 0.6 13.75 1.5 342- 670
3. Ramie 68-76% 13-16% 0.6-0.7% 1.9% 0.3 8.0 1.50 348-750
4. Coir 43.44% 0.25% 45.84% 3.0% 2.22 8-10.5 1.40 105-175
5. Sisal 71.5 18.1 5.9 2.3 - 11 1.45 444-550
6. Coconut 43 0.25 45.84 3 2.2 8- 12 1.18 131- 175
7. Pineapple 55-68% 15-20% 8-12% 2-4% 4-7 10.8 1.5 Above 400
8. Abaca 66.43% 24.7% 13.6% 0.3% 0.1 5.81 1.5 189
9. Flax 75% 5% 4% - 3 12 1.3-1.42 300-900
10. Bamboo 70-74 12-14 10-12 2-3 2-3 12.7 1.1 130-230
11. Cascabelathevetia 82.4% 11.9% 5.3% 2.4% 1.1 7.5-9 1.2 141
12. Wool - - - - - - - 120-174
13. Cotton 80 -92% - - 0.4 % 0.6 7.5-8.5 1.54 264-560

The comparative analysis depicts that the cellulose content of the extracted Cascabela thevetia fibre is higher as compared to the cellulose content of the other fibers such as Bamboo, sisal, Abaca, Pineapple, Flax, Coconut fibre etc. Whereas the cellulose content of Cascabela thevetia fibre is as similar to that of cotton fibre. Hence this fibre is of great textile importance as it can be used for the manufacturing of various textile based products such as Bed sheets, carpets etc along with cotton fibre an can also replace other fibers with less cellulosic content and lesser density. Also Cascabela thevetia plant is easily available, moreover the cost of harvesting of plant parts and cost of production of this fiber is comparatively low as compared to other plant based cellulosic fibers.
NOVELTY, INVENTIVE STEP AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
NOVELTY
NOVELTY of the present invention lies in disclosing a fibre from the outer layer of stem of cascabela thevetia plant. This plant stem has not been explored for preparing fibre earlier.
INVENTIVE STEP
Inventive step by way of technological advancement lies in disclosing a fibre from the stem of plant cascabela thevetia having high cellulose content and low density. Also the present invention is simple and does not involve the use of certain enzymes which causes the degradation of the plant and fibre.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
Industrial application is duly clear as it is an item of day to day use. It has great commercial importance and will boost medical & textile industry. This innovation has the potential to boost medical textile sector by manufacturing bed sheets, carpets, face masks, Personal Protective Equipment by use of fibre obtained from outer stem of cascabela thevetia plant.

WE CLAIM:
1.Textile fibre from stem of cascabela thevetia plant characterized in :
-average length of a single fibre is 5mm – 30 mm;
-moisture regain is 7.5 -9 % at standard conditions;
-cellulose content >82.4 % ;and
-density > 1.2 g/cc

2.A method of extraction of textile fibre from stem of cascabela thevetia plant as claimed in claim 1 WHEREIN the same consists of following steps:
-the stems of the cascabela thevetia are harvested manually and the outer layer of stem is removed using hands;
-removed outer layers of stem are arranged in the form of bundles;
-the bundles are kept in water tank for 14 days for tank retting;
-after retting, the bundles are removed from the water tank and mixed together;
-extracted fibre are washed twice using cold or plain water for removal of unwanted chemicals from the fibre;
-washed fibre are dried under direct sunlight for about 2 to 3 days;
-Dried fibre is passed through woolen carding machine to disentangle the unorganized tuft and align fibres into parallel arrangement.

3.A method of extraction of textile fibre from stem of cascabela thevetia plant as claimed in claim 1 WHEREIN the same consists of following steps:
-The stems of the cascabela thevetia are harvested manually and the outer layer of stem is removed using hands;
-the outer layers are arranged in the form of bundles;
-the bundles of stem are softened by boiling them with 3% sodium hydroxide solution for about 5-7 hours;
-after chemical retting as above, the bundles are removed from the tank and mixed together;
-mixed fibre is washed twice using cold or plain water for removal of unwanted chemicals from the fibre;
-washed fibre is dried under direct sunlight for about 2 to 3 days;
dried fibre is passed through woolen carding machine to disentangle the unorganized tuft and align fibres into parallel arrangement.