BLEACHING NEPTUNE BALLS

Posidonia Oceanic is a seaweed from Mediterranean Sea and it is more concentrated at the Balerian SEA. This implies the Valencian Community also. It forms vaste underwater meadows in the sea and are part of the Mediterranean ecosystem. It is a sea-grass specie with fruits and flowers. Leaves are ribbon-like and they grow in winter and at the end of summer some of them are separated and arrive to some sea line. Fuit is separated and can floate, it is known as “the olive of the sea” mainly in Italy, or as the Neptune Balls. As it can be used in different fields, it is is being studied in order ro have the precitice tests. Some authors have reported the manufacturing of fully bio-based comites with a gluten matrix by hot-press molding. And it has been considered as an effective insulator for building industry or even though to determine the presence of mercure in the Mediterranean sea some years ago. As many applications can be designed from that fibers, it has been considered to be bleached in order to used them in fashionable products. Consequently, its original brown color is not the most suitable one and it should be bleached as many other cellulosic fibers. The aim of this paper is to bleache neptune balls however, the inner fibers were not accessible at all and it implied not to bleach the inner fibers in the neptune ball. Further studiesd will consider bleaching the individualized fibers.