Physical and mechanical properties and Weibull analysis of Banana and plantain pseudostem fibres from Ghanaian varieties

Bananas and plantains are widely cultivated in Ghana and were estimated to generate approximately 100.54 million tonnes of post-harvest agricultural waste in 2021. Most of this waste consists of pseudostems, which contain fibres with potential for indigenous industrial applications. However, the physical and mechanical properties of fibres from Ghanaian banana and plantain varieties are largely unknown, limiting informed decision-making about their use. To bridge this information gap, this study characterised the physical and mechanical properties of fibres extracted from pseudostems of nine banana and plantain varieties cultivated in Ghana: Apem, Oniaba, Apantu, Asante Kwadu, Brodepa, Aborɔfo Kwadu, Cavendish Williams, Cavendish Grand Nain, and Cavendish Zelig. Characteristic tensile strength ranged from 455.12 MPa in Apantu to 2044.45 MPa in Aborɔfo Kwadu. The fitted Weibull modulus ranged from 1.78 to 3.55, with Zelig showing the highest estimate, indicating comparatively lower variability in strength within its tested fibre pool. Fibre diameter ranged from 0.038 ± 0.011 mm in Aborɔfo Kwadu to 0.115 ± 0.025 mm in Apantu, while elongation varied from 1.33 ± 0.55% in Apantu to 4.48 ± 1.78% in Cavendish Zelig. Young’s modulus ranged from 29.84 GPa in Cavendish Zelig to 60.50 GPa in Apem, density from 0.753 g/cm ³ in Cavendish Williams to 1.323 g/cm ³ in Brodepa, and fibre yield from 0.264% in Cavendish Zelig to 1.534% in Aborɔfo Kwadu. These property profiles support the preliminary selection of varieties for further evaluation in industrial applications according to requirements for strength, fineness, stiffness, extensibility and fibre recovery.