Plasma Treatment as a Sustainable Method for Enhancing the Wettability of Jute Fabrics

In this paper, raw jute fabric was subjected to atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (at 150 or 300 Hz) enhance its wettability, i.e., capillarity and wetting time. Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) were used assess the changes in fabrics’ surface chemistry morphology induced by plasma treatments. The obtained results revealed that both treatments enhanced wettability of fabrics, which could be ascribed fibers’ (the removal non-cellulosic components, exposure cellulose molecules, oxidation) (increased roughness due etching layers partial fibrillation). Capillary rise heights increased approximately 1.8 1.9 times, times 35 34 shorter 24 h after treatment at Hz, respectively. Special attention given aging effect indicated no significant time 28 7 days, respectively, proving durability effects treatment. Plasma-treated fabrics as water-binding geo-prebiotic polysaccharide supports provide necessary water for initial growth cyanobacterial biocrusts. lack moisture is main constraint biocrust development inoculation. combination such water-supportive strains rehabilitation various degraded lands, sediments, substrates, well air pollution control.