Natural Cellulose Fibers

 

Natural Cellulose Fibers

Cellulose is a fibrous material of plant origin and the basis of all natural and man-made cellulosic fibers. The natural cellulosic fibers include cotton, flax, hemp, jute, and ramie. Cellulose is a polymeric sugar polysaccharide) made up of repeating 1,4-8-an hydro glucose units connected to each other by 8-ether linkages. Strong intermolecular forces between chains, coupled with the high linearity of the cellulose molecule, account for the crystalline nature of cellulosic fibres.

Cellulosic Fibers

The natural fibers are vegetable, animal, or mineral in origin. Vegetable fibers, as the name implies, are derived from plants. The principal chemical component in plants is cellulose, and therefore they are also referred to as cellulosic fibers.

The fibers are usually bound by a natural phenolic polymer, lignin, which also is frequently present in the cell wall of the fiber; thus vegetable fibers are also often referred to as lignocellulosic fibers, except for cotton, which does not contain lignin.

Cellulose is a fibrous material of plant Origin and the basis of all natural and man-made cellulosic fibers. The natural cellulosic fibers include cotton, flax, hemp, jute, and ramie. The major man-made cellulosic fiber is rayon, a fiber produced by regeneration of dissolved forms of cellulose.

Cellulose is a polymeric sugar (polysaccharide) made up of repeating 1,4-8-an hydro glucose units connected to each other by 8-ether linkages.

The long 1inear chains of cellulose permit the hydroxyl functional groups on each anhydrous glucose unit to interact with hydroxyl groups on adjacent chains through hydrogen bonding and van der Waal s forces. These strong intermolecular forces between chains, coupled with the high linearity of the cellulose molecule, account for the crystalline nature of cellulosic fibers.

Classification of Vegetable Fibers

Vegetable fibers are classified according to their source in plants as follows:

(1) The bast or stem fibers, which form the fibrous bundles in the inner bark (phloem or bast) of the plant stems, are often referred to as soft fibers for textile use;

(2) The leaf fibers, which run lengthwise through the leaves of monocotyledonous plants, are also referred to as hard fibers; and

(3) The seed-hair fibers, the source of cotton, which is the most important vegetable fiber. There are >250,000 species of higher plants; however, only a very limited number of species have been exploited for commercial uses (<0.1%).

Seed Fibers

·         Cotton is the most commonly used natural cellulosic fiber. Cotton fibers grow from the seeds in the boll (seedpod). Each boll contains seven or eight seeds, and each seed may have up to 20,000 fibers growing from it.

·         Coir is from the fibrous mass between the outer shell and husk of coconuts.  It is a stiff fiber.  It is usually used to make highly durable indoor and outdoor mats, rugs, and tiles.

·         Kapok fiber is from the seed of the Java or Indian kapok tree.  The fiber is soft, lightweight, and hollow.  It breaks down easily and it is difficult to spin into yarns. It is used as fiberfill and as the stuffing for pillows. It used to be used as a stuffing for lifejackets and the mattresses on cruise ships because it is very buoyant.

·         Milkweed has properties similar to those of kapok.

Bast Fibers

·         Flax is one of the oldest textile fibers, but its use has declined since the invention of power spinning for cotton. Flax fabric is linen, although the word linen is now often used to refer to table, bed, and bath fabrics made from other materials

·         Ramie fibers are 4 to 6 inches long. The fibers are whiter and softer than flax. Ramie does not retain dyes well unless it is dry-cleaned. Ramie is strong for a natural fiber, but it lacks resiliency, elasticity, and elongation potential. It is resistant to mildew, insects, and shrinkage. It is used for apparel, window treatments, ropes, paper, and table and bed linens.

·         Hemp is similar to flax. The fibers range in length from 3 to 15 feet. Hemp production is illegal in the U.S. Hemp has a low environmental impact; it does not require pesticides. It produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax on the same amount of land. Hemp plants can be used to extract zinc and mercury pollutants from soil. Hemp is used for ropes, apparel, and paper. Potheads are willing to pay inflated prices for hemp apparel because it is related to the marijuana plant.

·         Jute is one of the cheapest textile fibers, and one of the weakest cellulosic fibers. Jute has poor elasticity, elongation, sunlight resistance, mildew resistance, and colorfastness. It is used to produce sugar and coffee bagging, carpet backing, rope, and wall coverings. Burlap is made from jute.

Leaf Fibers

·         Piña fibers are from the leaves of the pineapple plant. It is used to make lightweight, sheer, stiff fabrics for apparel, bags, and table linens.  It is also used to make mats.

·         Abaca is from a member of the banana tree family. The fibers are coarse and very long (up to 15 feet). It is a strong, durable, and flexible fiber used for ropes, floor mats, table linens, apparel, and wicker furniture.