Wet wipes from Citrus limon sanitizer and banana fiber nonwovens.

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorKamalha, Edwin
dc.contributor.authorKanene, Levi Brian
dc.contributor.authorMusinguzi, Alex
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-03T11:52:20Z
dc.date.available2026-07-03T11:52:20Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionScientific reports
dc.description.abstractWhereas sanitizing wipes are among the strategies for combatting COVID-19, there are growing concerns concerning their disposal, due to majority of them being made of non-biodegradable fibres. Additionally, majority of the sanitizing solutions used are associated with irritations and some are carcinogenic. In this study, banana wipes, impregnated with an organic antimicrobial formulation were developed to counter the unbiodegradable wipes made of synthetic fibres and impregnated with toxic antimicrobial formulations. A spunlaced non-woven fabric made from 100% banana fibres was impregnated with a commercial formulation containing essential oils from lemon, eucalyptus, cedar and orange. The impregnated banana fabric wipe exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli (both ATCC 25,922 and the wild strain), Staphylococcus aureus (both ATCC 25,923 and the wild strain), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (both ATCC 27,853 and the wild strain), with inhibition zones ranging from 10.00±1.00 mm to 13.67±1.16 mm, compared to the standard 14.00 mm. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the fabric showed that the tensile strength in the wet state increased by 4.29% and 20.41% in both the machine and cross directions respectively. Given that synthetic fibres are used in wipes to achieve a high wet tensile strength since most cellulosic fibres become weaker and disintegrate when wet, it can be concluded that banana fibres can be effectively used in wipes application given that they are biodegradable and are stronger when wet. Keywords: Sanitizing wipes, Banana pseudo-stem, COVID-19, Biodegradability, Bio-based, Nonwoven, Plant extract
dc.description.sponsorshipBusitema University
dc.identifier.citationEdwin, K., Brian, K. L., & Alex, M. (2025). Wet wipes from Citrus limon sanitizer and banana fiber nonwovens. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 35387. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19396-7
dc.identifier.urihttps://bdears.busitema.ac.ug/handle/123456789/7355
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNature portfolios
dc.relation.ispartofseriesScientific Reports ; (2025) 15:35387
dc.titleWet wipes from Citrus limon sanitizer and banana fiber nonwovens.
dc.typeArticle
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Wet wipes from Citrus limon sanitizer and banana fiber nonwovens_2025.pdf
Size:
1.41 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Department of Polymer, Textile and Industrial Engineering