There are many natural fibers that are used in a variety of applications. Some of the most common include cotton, linen, wool, and silk. Each fiber has unique properties that make it suitable for different uses. For example, cotton is often used in clothing because it is soft and absorbent. Linen is often used in bedding and tablecloths because it is durable and has a high resistance to wrinkles. Wool is commonly used in carpets and rugs because it is resilient and can withstand heavy traffic. Silk is often used in upholstery or for making ties because it has a luxurious feel and appearance.
The strength of a natural fiber depends on its composition and structure. The fibers that make up the strand can be either long or short, straight or curved, smooth or hairy. The type of bonding between the individual fibers also affects the strength of the strand. For example, strands with more hydrogen bonds tend to be stronger than those with fewer bonds. In general, natural fibers can be classified as either bast (inner bark) fibers or leaf (outer covering) fibers based on their origin within the plant.[1]
Bast Fibers: Bast fibers include flax, hemp , jute , ramie ,and roselle . These types of plants have an inner bark layer (the bast) that contains long cells with few side branches.[2] The length of these cells gives bast fibers greater length compared to other types of plant fiber . This property makes bast ideal for use in textile applications where longer lengths are desired such as carpeting , drapery fabrics ,and rope . In addition to length ,bast fibers also tend to be strong and durable due to their cell wall structure which consists mostly of cellulose .[3] Hemp & Jute: Hemp & Jute are two well-known bast crops that have been cultivated for centuries primarily due to their usefulness as textile materials . Both crops produce long strands of strong cellulose -rich Bast fibres however there are some key differences between them .Jute fibre comes from Corchorus olitorius & C capsularis plants whereas hemp fibre comes from Cannabis sativa plants [4].Jute fibre tends to be golden-brown in colour & softer than hemp fibre which tends towards being off-white/light brown & coarser 2).Hemp fibres have historically been favoured over jute when creating ropes & twines due to their higher tensile strength however this advantage has diminished somewhat in recent years as new processing techniques have increased jute’s overall strength 4).Flax: Flax (Linum usitatissimum)is another widely cultivated bast crop whose primary use is for producing linen fabric [5].Flax plants produce both shorter tow fibres located near the surface as well as longer line fibres found deeper inside the stalk 6).Line flax fibres are typically around twice as strong as tow flax but only make up around 20% by weight so they must usually be combined with tow during processing 7).Ramie: Ramie(Boehmeria nivea)is another bast crop similar to flax whose main use is also producing fabric 8).Ramie plants produce very fine white/golden coloured Bast fibres which rival silk in terms lustre 9).However ramie’s real advantage over other textile materials lies its incredible durability;ramie fabrics don’t shrink wrinkle mildew or rot making them ideal for outdoor furniture covers sails etc 10).[10]Roselle: Roselle(Hibiscus sabdariffa)is a tropical herbaceous plant belonging to the mallow family Malvaceae 11).[11]Although roselle isn’t currently widely cultivated its leaves & calyxes contain significant amounts red pigment 12).[12]This property along with roselle’s high mucilage content 13)[13]makes it valuable source material food dyes 14).[14][15][16][17][18][19][20].In addition roselles contain small but usable quantities Bast Fibre 15)]which could potentially be exploited if cultivation becomes more widespread 16)].
