Extraction of natural fibres from Agave fourcroydes leaves and multi-property evaluation for potential textile applications

Sustainability concerns, environmental impact, and demand for renewable raw materials have intensified research efforts toward the development of novel natural fibres for textile applications. In this study, fibres extracted from the leaves of Agave fourcroydes were systematically investigated to evaluate their suitability as a sustainable textile fibre. Mature leaves were harvested and subjected to a water retting process followed by mechanical separation to extract the fibres, which were subsequently sun-dried. The extracted fibres were characterized for key textile-relevant properties including fibre length, bundle strength, fineness, colour characteristics, density, and thermal stability. In addition, morphological and chemical analyses were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The results indicate that Agave fourcroydes leaf fibres exhibit extra-long staple length, adequate bundle strength, and good thermal stability up to approximately 220 °C, making them suitable for common textile processing conditions. The overall performance of the fibres suggests that they can serve as a viable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional natural fibres, particularly for applications such as packaging textiles and similar functional textile products.