NATURAL BAST FIBERS

Lecture Three

Prepared by: Gemeda Gebino

 Natural Bast Fibers
 Bast fibers are produced from renewable
agricultural crops grown with no pesticides
and little or no herbicides.
 Bast fibers have been used for thousands
of years, before petrochemical fibers were
developed and pushed them aside.

 Bast fibers can reduce cost, reduce weight,

reduce manufacturing time, and improve
safety in automobiles. European
automakers have adopted them and are
expected to use up to 70,000 metric tons of
fiber by the year 2005.
 Fibres obtained from the Bast or Stem of the
plant
 They are also called Stem or Bark fibres
 Bast fibres are constructed with long and thick
walled cells that overlap with each other

 These fibres are cemented with each other

and with the inner stem of the plant by means
of natural non-cellulosic binding agents (glue)

 Thefibres glued to each other form a

continuous type of strand that may run
through out the length of the stem.
 Fibres are released from the inner stem of the
plant by a natural decomposition process called
retting or rotting

 There are
many types
of bast fibres:
e.g.
 Jute
 Flax
 Hemp
 Kenaf
 Ramie
 How are Bast Fibers Different than other Natural Fibers?

Bast Fibers grow in a very

special way.
Fibers surround a central
core
 Hemp-Coarse
 Kenaf – Coarse
 Flax – Fine
 Ramie – Very Fine
Can be processed to required
fineness.
Can be processed to desired
length.
Why Use Natural Bast Fibers?

 Lower Cost
 Long Strong Fiber
 Different finenesses possible
giving varying aspect ratios
 Renewable
 Recyclable
 Bio-degradable (if used with
natural resins)
 Environmentally Friendly – The
‘Green’ Factor
 Agricultural Residues are like
Recycled Plastics, while Bast fibers
are like Virgin Plastics.
 Composition of Bast fiber
Composition percentage of Bast
Fibers
Fibrous Cellulos Hemicellulo Lignin
material e se
Flax 70-75 15-20 2.0-
3.0*
Hemp 65-75 16-18 2.9-
3.3*
Jute 59-71 12-13 11.8-
12.9*
Kenaf (Bast)
*The higher 65 percentage,
the lignin 13 the lower the quality.
21.60*
 Growing Bast Fibers
Harvesting
 Bast Fibers must be grown for specific
end uses.
 Seed - Paper/Pulp - Composites -
Textiles

This involves
the correct:
o Seed Selection
o Sowing
Density
o Fertilization
o Growing
Period
o Location
PROCESSING OF BAST FIBER-
Machine

The component breakdown of the

plant:
Primary Fiber +/- 30%
Core +/- 50%
Secondary Fiber +/- 10%
Dust & Waste +/- 10%
 PROCESSING OF BAST FIBER-Retting

 What is Retting?
 The process of separating the fibre from the
wood
 Retting is the process of anti-microbial action
on the pectins in the plant which bind the long
fibers to the woody core material.
 It is a natural decomposition process of
fermentation by means of which the fibre
strand can be removed from its woody inner
stem.
 This can be accomplished in many ways.
 Water-retting
 Dew-retting
 Enzyme-retting
 Dam Retting
Dams or ponds are dug up into the ground
Bundled stems are immersed for 10 days
This is an ancient method of retting
It is no longer used because many impurities
are also added to the fibre
 Dew retting
Stems are spread on the ground for
several weeks
Dew during the night & rain encourages
this process.
This method is applied in areas facing
water shortage
The main drawback is that it makes the
fibre grey / blackish in colour
This technique is mostly used in Europe.
Dew retting is cost effective as less
labour is required and no water goes
wasted by this method
 Tank
Retting
Most suitable retting method that gives the
most uniform and good quality fibres
The stems are put in water tanks
Water is heated to a temperature of 30 o C
The water can be circulated to accelerate
the process
This process takes about three days

Best quality fibres are obtained by double

tank retting:
 the fibres are partially retted once and then
they are dried–after drying second stage of
retting is carried out
 Chemical Retting
Uses chemicals like caustic soda ,sodium
carbonate and dilute mineral acids
Costly compared to natural retting but quality of
fibres is similar
Only advantage is the speed of operation , done
within few hours
A special type of chemical retting
:Cottonization , also possible
In cottonization, retting is carried out up to an
extent where very fine fibres are obtained.
These fibres resemble cotton fibres and can also
be spun on normal cotton spinning machinery
Conti…
Breaking: the fibres are passed through
a pair of fluted roller of the breaking
machine.
The woody core is broken down into small
fragments without damaging the fibre
Scutching ( Beating out) :Process of
separating the fragments of woody
matter from the fibres
Done by beating or striking the straws with
metal or wooden blades

Hackling: Fibres are combed or hackled

Conti…

By passing them through a series

of combs
Helps to separate the coarse fibres from
fine ones to make fibres parallel and
aligned to each other

Spinning : Dry form for coarse

fibres & wet form for fine fibres
Wet form, fibres are converted into roving
then passed though a boiling water bath
This softens the gummy material
between the fibres making it easier for
drafting and aligning as the roving is
 Flax/Linen Fiber
Flax, in addition to cotton, is also one of the
earliest fibre used by man
It is obtained from a special type of plant
called Linum Usitatissimum
It grows in most cold to moderate
temperature regions throughout the world

The outer layer of stem of this plant is

hard & unsuitable for textile purposes
The inner layer of the stem contains
soft, long & thick walled fibres in a strand form
used for textile fibres
oProcessing of the Flax/Linen fiber
follows, Water-retting, Dew-retting,
Enzyme-retting
Uses
High quality linen fabrics for dress purposes
Linen bed sheets, bed spreads
Linen fabric used as a glass cleaning cloth
Waste from linen fibres is used in making
bank notes, cigarette paper and writing
paper
Structure of Flax fibers
Chemical composition
Cellulose
92%
Hemicellulose 2%
Lignin 4%
Others ( pectin,
fats, wax)
2%
Longitudinal View

Cross-Sectional View of Flax Plant

 Jute Fiber
Widely grown in hot and humid regions of Asia:
Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Pakistan
Inner bark of the plant :Genus Corchorus

Processin
g
 Upon maturing -harvested by cutting
off lower part of the stem by means of
blades
 Harvesting is generally carried out by hand
 After harvesting, leaves & branches are
removed and useful stems are tied in
bundle form
Conti….

Dam retting is preferred : 5 to 7

days to complete
Fibres are then separated from
the inner bark without
scutching and breaking
processes
After separation, washed
thoroughly and dried in sunlight
Dried fibres compressed into a
bale form for spinning purpose
 Spinning
Jute fibres cannot be spun in dry state
During spinning, necessary to add a
small amount of mineral oil to the
fibre
Normal quality yarns have about 5%
of mineral oil
oSacks and bags
oStorage and transportation of
Use
agricultural goods
s obacking fabric for carpets and rugs
oFine jute fabrics are used in curtains
and furnishing fabrics
oRarely, jute is used for cheap dress
Structure of Jute Fiber
Commercial jute varies from yellow
to brown to greyish in color.
 The bundle of fibers held together
by gummy material;
lignin which plays an important role
in structure of plant.
 By contrast with the regular lumen
of flax, that of jute is irregular; it
becomes narrow in places quite
suddenly.
Longitudinal View

Cross-sectional view
Properties
Fiber Surface & Appearance: Yellow to
brown to dirty grey in color and Natural Silky
Lustrous appearance
Tensile Strength: Not stronger than flax
because of the irregularities in the thickness
of cell wall.
Elongation: Elongation at break = 1.7%
Elastic Properties: It is a stiff fiber and not
tend to return its original length completely
when the tension is relaxed.
Specific Gravity: 1.5
Length: 1~4 meters (3~12 feet)
Effect of Moisture:
Moisture Regain = 13.75%
Jute can absorb as much as 23% of
water under humid conditions
Effect of Age: High content of non-
cellulosic matter makes jute sensitive
against chemical and photochemical
attack.

Effect of Microorganisms: Jute is

more resistant to microorganism
due to protective effect of lignin.
 Hemp
Fiber
Fibre is obtained from the bast of the
plant Cannabis sativa L.
Production of hemp is restricted in
some countries, where the plant is
confused with marijuana
The world's leading producer of
hemp is China
 Processing of hemp Fiber
Water retting preferred: Tank retting
Decortification: done after retting, the
woody core is broken into small pieces
that can be separated from the fibres
Defibration: large fibre bundles are
separated into single fibres and small
fibre bundles useful for production of
hemp yarn done by degradation or
disruption of the middle lamellae between
the single fibres
Can be done through: enzyme treatment,
wet oxidation and NaOH treatment
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF HEMP

Hemp is a cellulosic natural fiber,

so its chemical component is
cellulose. I have presenting the
chemical composition of hemp fiber
as below:
Cellulose : 77.5%
Hemi-cellulose : 10%
Lignin : 6.8%
Pectin : 2.9%
Fat & wax : 0.9%
 Uses
Rope, paper
Specialty pulp (cigarette paper, bank
notes, technical filters)
Composite materials
Construction & thermal insulation
materials
Geotextiles e.g. erosion control mats
Cement (Concrete) and Plaster
Kenaf Fiber
Kenaf is a natural fiber which is a plant in
the Malvaceae family.
Botanical name is Hibiscus cannabinu.

Itis grown mainly for bast fiber in China

(44%), India (39%), Indonesia, Malaysia,
Bangladesh, USA, South Africa, Thailand and
parts of Africa.

Fiber: Two kinds, the long fibers are mainly

in the thin bark (cortical layer), whereas the
short fibers are in the ligneous core, namely
pith (short fiber).
 Structure of Fiber:
The stalk of the Kenaf plant
consists of two distinct
types of fibers :
 The outer fiber is called
bast and comprises roughly
40% of the stalk dry weight.
Refine bast fiber measure
2.6mm and are similar to
the best softwood fiber
used to make paper
 White inner fiber is called
core and comprises 60% of
the dry weight.
Cross-section of fiber
Composition
 Cellulose percentage is from 44 to 55%, hemi
cellulose 21%, pectine is 2%.
 Lignin: lignin percentage is from 15 to 19%.

Production, Processing and Cultivation

of Fiber:
 It is sown from may to October. Growing quickly
rising to a height of 5-6 m in a 6 to 8 months.
 Temperature need from 20 to 27 degree
centigrade
 Harvesting
Kenaf crop are both hand and machine
harvested.
Fiber are usually separated from the stalk
mechanically although retting is still done by
hand in some areas.
Plant are harvested for their stalk from which
the fiber is extracted.

Retting of Kenaf fiber

Retting of kenaf fiber is by water Retting
Jute and Kenaf fiber have almost same
retting process.
 Plant stem are immersed in water river
,ponds and tank, It need 7 to 14 days.
 Fiber are separating with water followed
by washing and drying
 Properties of Kenaf fiber
 Fiber length: Kenaf fiber length is from 2.6 to 4mm.
 Fiber diameter: diameter of Kenaf fiber is from 17
to 21.9 micron.
 Density: 1.4 g/cm3.
 Elongation: 1.6 %

 Roping: it is use in making ropes.

 Paper: it is use in paper production.
 Use in coarse cloths.
Uses  It is used in automotive product.
 Engineered wood, Insulation, Clothing-
grade cloth
 Soil-less potting mixes
 Animal bedding, Packing material
 Leaf fibres
Abaca/ Manila hemp
•Obtained from the leaves of the banana-like
plant (same genus) Musa textiles
 The mature plant has 12–20 stalks
growing from its rhizome root system
 Philippines are the principal supplier
of abaca fiber

The abaca fiber is extracted from

the stalk of the plant. It is a Musa
sea family plant native to Asia and
planted in humid areas. It is also
called biodegradable and
 Harvesting abaca is labour intensive as
each stalk must be cut into strips which
are scraped to remove the pulp. The
fibres are then washed and dried.
 Production
 Abaca is extracted from the leaf
sheath around the trunk of
the abaca plant
 Harvesting abaca is labourious
 Each stalk is cut into strips which are
scraped to remove the pulp
 The fibres are then washed and dried

•ropes, twines, fishing lines and nets

(great mechanical strength, resistance to
Use saltwater damage)
s •Sacking
•stencil papers, cigarette filter papers, tea-
bags and sausage skins
•currency paper: Japan's yen banknotes
contain up to 30% abaca
 Sisal Fiber
Itsthe most important of the leaf
fibers in terms of quality and
commercial use
Fibres obtained from Agave sisalana
Sisal is a perennial hardy plant, which
unlike the other fibres is not a
seasonal plant
 These plants produce rosettes of sword-
shaped leaves which start out toothed,
and gradually lose their teeth with
maturity.
 Sisal fiber is fully biodegradable, green
composites were fabricated with soy protein
resin modified with gelatin.
 Itsfibre is too tough for textiles and
Chemical Composition of Sisal
fabrics.
Fiber:
Cellulose 65%
Hemicelluloses 12%
Lignin 9.9%
Waxes 2%
Total 100%
 Processing
 Retting
 After decortication the fibre is taken to the drying
ground where it is spread over wires.
 Brushing
 Brushing frees individual fibres from each other
and removes the short fibres, which are called
tow.
 Baling

•Specialty paper, filters,

Use geotextiles, mattresses,
carpets and wall coverings
s •Dartboards
•Automotive Industry
•Furniture
 Properties of Sisal
Fiber:
 Sisal Fiber is exceptionally durable with a low
maintenance with minimal wear and tear.
 It is Recyclable.
 Sisal fibers are obtained from the outer leaf
skin, removing the inner pulp.
 It is available as plaid, herringbone and twill.
 Sisal fibers are Anti static, does not attract or
trap dust particles and do not absorb moisture
or water easily.
 The fine texture takes dyes easily and offers
the largest range of dyed colours of all natural
fibers.
 It exhibits good sound and impact absorbing
properties.
The
End!!