Bamboos are evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily bambusoideae of the grass family. The word "bamboo" comes from the Dutch or Portuguese languages, which probably borrowed it from Malay.
Bamboo is one of the fastest
growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome dependent system. Certain
species of bamboo can grow 910 mm (36 in) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of
almost 40 mm (1 1⁄2 in) an hour (a growth around 1 mm every 90 seconds, or 1
inch every 40 minutes).Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass
family.
As a fibre, bamboo is a natural
cellulosic regenerated biodegradable environment friendly textile material. Not
only a green fibre but it has also inherent property of anti- bacterial and UV
protective property, which makes it a unique ecofriendly textile material in 21st
century.
It is not only used in
conventional textile but also it is very useful for high performance end uses
as a composite material due to high tensile strength, durability, stability.
Morphological Structure of Bamboo
Bamboo is bast fibre like jute,
flax, ramie etc. Main components of bamboo are:
- Rhizomes
- Roots
- Culms
- Branches
- Leaves
- Flowers
Microscopic Appearance
Bamboo is a lingo-cellulosic bast fibre. Chemical composition and properties are similar to the other bast fibres like jute, flax. It contains cellulose(70-74)%, hemicellulose(12-14)%, lignin(10-12)%, extractives like protein, pectin,wax (2-3)%.
Bamboo Fibre Processing
There are two manufacturing
methods of bamboo fibres:
- Chemical Process
- Mechanical Process
Depending upon the type of fabric
bamboo fibre can be produce two different chemical methods. Majority of the
bamboo fibres are produced by viscose rayon processing method. Which is cheap
to produce but it has some environmental downside. Actually this method is
regenerated or semi synthetic fibre processing method.
Rayon Processing Method Wet
Spinning:
- Bamboo culms are extracted and crushed
- Crushed bamboo is soaked in a solution of 20% NaOH at a temp of 20℃ for 3 hours to form alkali solution
- Soda cellulose is crushed by a grinder and left to dry for 24 hours.
- CS2 is added to the soda cellulose to sulphurize the compound and become jelly
- Remaining CS2 is removed by evaporation & formation of Sodium Cellulose Xanthate
- NaOH is added with sodium cellulose xanthate dissolving it to create a viscose solution consisting of about 5% NaOH and 7% to 15% bamboo fibre cellulose.
- Then the highly viscous bamboo solution is forced through the spinneret nozzles into a large container of a diluted H2SO4 solution.
- It solidifies into the fibre which is spun into the fibre.
- Carbon disulphide (CS2) is a neurotoxin, and it also causes organ damage. Workers who are exposed to this chemical can develop psychosis, liver damage, coma, and blindness, and this chemical can also cause heart attacks.
Close loop solvent
spinning process:
It is also known as Lyocell type spinning process. It is an eco-friendly process also. Unlike the process used to viscose rayon, closed loop rayon production does not chemically alter the structure of cellulose that is used, used results in a fabric purely organic. While solvent used to make traditional viscose processing is wasted and usually end up in a biosphere, the solvent (n-methylmorpholine n-oxide) used in closed-loop rayon production can be reused (99.5%) again and again.
Mechanical Process:
Bamboo fabric of the highest
quality is made with production practices that do not extract cellulose.
Instead, a natural enzyme is used on crushed bamboo wood fibers, and these
fibers are then washed and spun into yarn. This yarn usually has a silky
texture, and the fabric made by this process is sometimes called bamboo linen.
It is actually true natural bamboo fibre processing.
When bamboo fabric is made with this
method, it is not environmentally harmful, and the resulting textile is strong
and long-lasting. However, most types of bamboo fabric are not made with this
mechanical process; to ensure that you're getting high-quality bamboo fabric,
make sure that it is manufactured with a mechanical rather than a chemical
process.
Properties of Bamboo Fibre:
Table of physical Property of bamboo fibre
S/No |
Properties |
Data |
1 |
Dry tensile strength (cN/dtex) |
2.33 |
2 |
Wet tensile strength (cN/dtex) |
1.37 |
3 |
Dry elongation at break (%) |
23.8 |
4 |
Linear density (% deviation) |
1.8 |
5 |
Percentage length deviation |
1.8 |
6 |
Over length staple fibres (%) |
0.2 |
7 |
Whiteness (%) |
69.6 |
8 |
Moisture region |
13.03 |
9 |
Oil content |
0.17 |
(Note: Test done at
20 °C and 65% RH).
Advantages of Bamboo Fibre:
Green and eco-friendly:
Bamboo fibre can be processed
through regenerated or natural process. As it is 100% cellulosic it is bio
degradable in nature. Bamboo fibre decomposes without causing pollution.
"Bamboo fiber comes from nature, and completely returns to nature in the
end". As a green textile material bamboo has a great advantage over other
natural textile materials.
Bamboo can be grown without the use of pesticides,
which together with other factors such as fast growing rate and low water
consumption makes it a sustainable raw material for textiles.
Soft & Breathable:
Bamboo fibre is finer &
softer than cotton. Cross section of bamboo fibres are filled with micro gaps
and micro pores. So it has better moisture absorption and ventilation. In
summer bamboo fabric can evaporate sweat from human body very fast just like
breathing, such types garment gives aesthetically pleasant and cool to the
human body. According to authoritative testing figures, apparels
made from bamboo fibers are 1-2 lower than normal apparels in hot summer.
Apparel made from bamboo fiber is crowned as Air Conditioning Dress.
Natural Anti-Bacterial Property:
Many scientists prove that bamboo
fibre has inherent natural antibacterial property. Bamboo viscose made fabric
had significant effect on odor of body sweat. There are claims that bamboo
viscose fabrics have a unique antibacterial quality, due to an antimicrobial
bio-agent called "bamboo Kun". Kun is found naturally in the living
bamboo fibre. Due to the ‘Kun’ bamboo fabric is sometimes said to be naturally
antibacterial, antifungal and odor resistant.
UV protection property:
Bamboo made fabric has UV
absorption property. It protects human skin from UV rays. It can be used as a
dress material of pregnant women and children.
Uses of bamboo yarn & fabric:
Intimate Apparel uses:
Under garments including socks,
bath suit, under wear, towel etc.
Sanitary purpose & medical
uses:
Sanitary materials: bandage,
mask, surgical cloths, nurses wear and so on. It has incomparably wide
foreground on application in sanitary material such as sanitary towel, gauze
mask, absorbent pads, and food packing.
Due to its anti-bacterial nature,
non-woven fabric has wide prospects in the field of hygiene materials such as
sanitary napkin, masks, mattress, food-packing, bags.
UV resistant product:
Due
to its’ UV resistant property, it is used for making of apparel of pregnant
women and children.
Household uses:
Television cover, wall-paper and
sofa slipcover.
Demand & cost of bamboo fabric
Viscose or similar semi-synthetic
fabrics made from this type of wood are generally less expensive than cotton.
In some cases, this decreased cost is passed on to the consumer. Genuine bamboo
fabric that is made using mechanical methods, however, is almost always more
expensive than cotton, but it may be more affordable than forms of luxury
cotton like Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton etc.
Conclusion
Bamboo fibre has already gained
popularity in textile market due its’ aesthetic property, fineness,
flexibility, inherent antimicrobial property, UV resistant property. Moreover
it is an ecofriendly green textile material which would be future of 21th century
for sustainable textile solution.
References:
- https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/5750/bamboo-fibers-and-its-applications
- https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/bamboo-fabric
- https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2014/06/application-of-bamboo-fabric.html
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259389688_Bamboo_fibres_their_application_in_textiles
6 Comments
Huge information.
ReplyDeleteThis is so helpful!! Thank you so much for such a comprehensive article
ReplyDeleteInteresting in bamboos fiber
DeleteWe are going to manufacturing Bamboo natural fiber with machenical process
ReplyDeleteBut we want financial support from big hand
Our plant start in north Gujarat area
sonuenterprisevapi@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteGood job, thanks for this article
ReplyDelete