APPLICATION OF NATURAL FIBRES IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY Innovation is happening today at accelerated rates, in various spheres.

Faster and more efficient products are the demand of the hour. Environmental issues are simultaneously becoming a primary concern, as innovators realize the importance of Sustainable Development. This growing awareness has lead to a demand of natural goods or goods obtained from natural products. A direct consequence of this has been the widening use of natural fibres and textiles in various industries,where they were not used earlier, making natural fibres truly versatile. Natural fibres have thus found their applications in multiple industries, be it medicinal uses or automotive applications. The status quo defines the use of natural fibres to be limited to clothing, upholstery, packing material and conventional medical use.Through this report, I will aim to investigate the improved and sustainable manifold applications of natural fibres in different fields.

TECHNICAL TEXTILES The widest and large scale application of textiles today is in technical textiles. Technical textiles involves the use of fibres for applications other than clothing and furnishing. They have been used for a long time, however have gained popularity in recent times due to the economic and strategic advantages that these possess. They are broadly classified into Medical Textiles, GeoTextiles, Industrial Textiles, Protection Textiles, Construction Textiles and Domestic Textiles. These incorporate the use of both Natural and Synthetic Fibres. Select applications of natural fibres in technical textiles have been discussed below.(1)

Natural Fibre Cotton Jute Silk Coir

Key Segments Buildtech, Clothtech, Meditech, Hometech, Indutech Buildtech, Geotech,Agrotech, Sportech Meditech, Clotech, Hometech Geotech, Hometech
(Source: http://technotex.gov.in/raw.pdf)

BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS (2) Humans have always turned towards nature for medical applications. The essential properties for a fibre to be used for medical purposes is that they should be non toxic, non-allergenic, non-carcinogenic and should be sterilized without imparting change in physical or chemical characteristics. Alginate Fibres,( obtained from seaweeds) have found use in medical textiles,where on contact with the wound, they convert to a gel like form, thus keeping the wound moist and letting it breather,enabling faster healing. Catgut is a type of cord made from the natural fibre obtained from the intestine of animals. It is increasingly being used as to make sutures (A medical device used to hold tissue together after injury).The catgut material is bio-adsorbed and it will cause fewer reactions in the tissue. To avoid this degradation the material can be coated with a protective polymer sheet. The suture is hydrolyzed or degraded through enzymatic action, after healing has taken place.Antimicrobial wound dressings are also being developed, by treating pure cotton with Anecia's Polyhexamethylene Biguandine agent. Silk is

being increasingly treated with silver nano particles, which greatly increases its antimicrobial activity. Wool has also been treated with anatase titanium dioxide, which destroys microorganisms on exposure to sunlight. All these agents resist bacterial growth and also bacteria penetration. This can serves as a alternate to the plain wound dressings which were being used earlier, and antimicrobial cotton is now being used commonly as a result.

TISSUE ENGINEERING USING NATURAL FIBRES (4)(14) Tissue engineering refers to the development of substitutes which replace, repair or enhance biological functions of diseased and damaged human body parts, by manipulating cells via their extracellular microenvironment. It involves the use of a 3 Dimensional extracellular structure, commonly known as a scaffold, which is fabricated in the shape of the tissue which needs to be restored. The scaffold serves as a structure to enable the multiplication of cells.The primary properties of the scaffold that it should promote cell adhesion and proliferation. Also, it must degrade at the same rate as the rate of growth of new tissue, in order to integrate the host and developing tisue. Silk, due to its biocompatibility, mechanical properties, easy modifiability and slow degradation rates is also finding diverse applications in medical textiles. Degummed silk, is popularly used in tissue engineering as fibroin has demonstrated cell attachment and proliferation tendencies. The silk must necessarily be degummed as the immunogenic sericin coating must be removed. Essentially, it is the fibroin which provides an environment conducive for the multiplication of cells.Hence the scaffolds, which are required for tissue
Collagen Tissue Scaffold

engineering and for graft formation, can be constructed out of silk. These are used for grafting cartilage, bone, ligament and tendons. Recent studies have proven silk to be an excellent scaffold for artificial blood vessels as well, due to its suitable mechanical properties.Animal derived Type I Collagen along with Gelatin ( denatured Type I collagen) is another natural material which is popularly used as a biomaterial and is widely used in tissue engineering and cosmetic surgery. These are electrospun in order to give rise to 3D scaffolds of nano to micron scale. Animal derived collagen, especially from pigs is used as a scaffold to reestablish the collagen in the skin and has been commercialized. However, there are chances of allergic reactions and pathogen transfer, hence it is not as popular as silk. GEOTEXTILES(8)(1) Another field where natural textiles are surging ahead is geotextiles. Geotextiles are fabrics,woven, non woven and knitted,which are used to provide a range of functions such as support, drainage and separation at ground or below ground level. They are used for applications including the construction of buildings,
Woven, Non Woven,Knitted and

Non-Woven Fabrics

bridges, dams, roads, railways and paths as well as embankments and sub-sea coastal engineering projects. As jute is permeable, it is ideal as a geotextile. Different non woven techniques, such as stitch bonding, hydro entanglement, thermal bonding and needle punching were employed in order to manufacture jute as an ideal geotextile. Its high tensile strength made it an suitable choice. Natural fibres such as abaca, sisal, hemp and coir are also increasingly being uses and are particularly useful in creating embankments over soft ground, where water easily fills the pores between the soil. These are able to provide the extra lateral forces that prevent the embankment from splitting. They also help in the process of filtration, where vertical side trenches are lined with geotextiles and filled with coarse gravel. They can also be laid on the surface of soil to aid in prevention of erosion, reduce run off, retain soil particles and protect unvegetated soil from the wind. For water conservation, the geotextile is used with reinforced soil constructions.In conjunction with bamboo strips, geotextiles are used for the bases of roads.Hemp is increasingly being used as an insulator for houses, as a substitute for glass wool and rock wool. It has the added advantage of regulating interior humidity as well. however it is not likely to gain popularity due to its high cost. FIBRE COMPOSITES(3)(8) Composites are materials made of a polymer resin reinforced by natural fibres, therefore effectively combining the high mechanical and physical properties of fibres and the appearance and bonding of polymers.There is an increasing trend involving the shift towards green composites, those derived from nature. Making of such composites uses two materials: Fibres Resin Material

These composites are well suited as wood substitutes in the housing and construction industry, as a result of their mechanical properties. Replacement of glass fibre as a composite by natural fibres in cement and polymer is becoming common due to their high stiffness and are economically better. Also, these can be easily moulded into sheets, boards, grafting and frames.Sisal shows tensile strength similar to that of jute and flax.Sisal, coir, jute, flax are being used for reinforcement of thermoplastic and thermosetting materials such as unsaturated polyesters, cement, natural rubber, phenol formaldehyde. Jute-Polyester and Jute-Glass Composites are more cost efficient on a modulus to cost and a modulus to weight basis. Jute and coir based composites are increasingly being used as substitutes for plywood and fibre boards. Sisal fibre based composites are used for panel and roofing sheets. Jute with glass as composite brings about large increase in mechanical properties of the composite. Coir is used along with jute and rubber wood, to form ply wood, which is highly resistant to rotting due to a high lignin content. Natural Fibres and Resin Material are pressed to make laminates, which compared to the corrugated iron roofings, have improved thermal and sound insulating properties and do not rust.

AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS USING NATURAL COMPOSITES(16)

Another field where application of fibre composites is gaining popularity is in the automotive industry. Flax is being used increasingly used as reinforcement for polypropylenes, most commonly used in the interior of car panels. The composite is made from a mixture of 50% polypropylene fibre and 50% flax
Manufacturing of flax to be used in car panels

fibre. The ratio can also be 70-30 or 60-40. In the event of a car crash, this is a safer alternate to glass fibres as no sharp edged fracture appears in the event of a crash. The panel does not break in such an event. Also, the weight of the product is reduced by nearly 20% while simultaneously yielding cost benefits. Hemp is also being used as a reinforcement for organic plastics, also applied in the automotive industry. The biggest advantage it has in comparison to glass fibres is that the resulting plastic is easier to mould, less abrasive and recyclable.

AGROTEXTILES(9)(11)

Agriculture is the occupation which employs maximum number of people worldwide. Agrotextiles were introduced to supplement the demand for high quality and high yield crops, a pressing need in todays population scenario. These primarily involve the use of synthetic fibres due to their high strength and
Jute based Mulch Mats, used commonly in agricultural processes

durability. However, their are certain applications in which natural fibres take the lead due to the advantage that the are bio degradable after a certain amount of time. Also, certain characteristics such as high moisture retention and wet strength are effectively exploited. Jute is used to improving agricultural production and reduce unwanted weed growth. Its uses have been established in soil conservation, to provide shade over nursery, weed management and agro mulching and nursery seed bed cover. Jute Mulch Mats to suppress weed growth are made. As coir is moisture retentive and naturally resistant to rot, mould and moisture, it has found use in agrotextiles. Woven meshes, known as Erosion Control Blankets are made out of coir, to control soil erosion and condition the soil. They act as dams and prevent the seeds from being washed away by wind and water. Non woven coir is used to make mulching mats, cultivation mats for plants(high water retention ability),basket liners(as they are porous, help roots to grow faster) and growth sticks (provide support to growing plants).Mulch blankets allow water to flow across, thereby suppressing weeds and simultaneously retaining moisture. Wool is also used in agrotextiles due to its good insulation properties under moist conditions, hence prevent seedling

damage from frost in winters. They also are used as mulch mats, where the fibres degrade after a one to five year period, acting as a fertilizer and improving soil fertility. They also allow water to enter unlike plastic that was used earlier. Fibres such as sisal and hemp are also used for tying, twines of two to three threads are used for crop wrapping.

AIR FILTRATION(7) Cotton has also been developed to be used as an efficient air filter in recent times, especially for vehicles and racing cars, in order to combat air pollution. Deep pleats in cotton increase the surface area to draw more air and this is able to efficiently trap dust, dirt and moisture particles. LOSMA, which manufactures air and industrial coolant filtration systems, has also patented a filtration technique under the GREEN tag, wherein the filter is 100% composed of vegetable fibres. The cultivation of the GREEN does not require the use of pesticides and other chemicals either. It is based on the techniques of tridimensional heavy filtration and is effective for aersol,oilmist and vapours coming from coolant systems. The natural fibres contain anti pollutant properties within themselves making it a 100% sustainable system. LOSMA uses these filters in their products.

FINISHING PROCESSES GIVEN TO TEXTILE FABRICS(15)(5)(1)(10) Making fabric flame retardant, water repellent, anti microbial,UV blocking etc through chemical treatments is also finding diverse uses. Processes such as Proban9 and Pyrovatex10 are durable finishes applied to cotton to make it fire retardant. These are used as protective wear in metal,electrical and chemical industries and furnishing of hospitals, homes and institutions. Zirpro treatment, involving Zirconium complexes has been developed for flame retardancy of Wool, and has been coupled with flurocarbons to make it flame, water, oil and acid repellent. Silk is made Flame Retardant by UV Rays are capable of degrading fabric quality and these are being treated with organic UV Ray absorbers including derivatives of ohydroxy benzophenones,o-hydroxy phenyl hydrazines, especially applied for Wool and Silk.Taking inspiration from nature is what the field of Biomimetics is about. It is being applied in versatile manners in fabrics, where taking inspiration from Lotus leaves, Cotton is being made water repellent. The leaves have a waxy surface, with
Wool treated with Silica, becoming SuperHydrophilic(Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com)

micron size papillae, that are covered in hair. This reduces contact area between surface and water molecules. Nano-Tex has developed such cotton which moves moisture away from the skin and isolates it on the outer surface. Wool, essentially hydrophobic in nature, is made hydrophillic by treating it with Silica nanoparticles,

which have extremely small diameter. These silica particles are able to absorb the excess water and make wool superhydrophilic. Such treatments of natural fabrics find applications in upholstery, smarter clothing and various industries. THE FUTURE OF NATURAL FIBRES The diverse applications of natural fibres as demonstrated in the above report clearly shows us that fibre usage is not limited to clothing and upholstery. Even in the clothing and upholstery industry, newer and more advanced technologies are helping improving the quality of life. Without compromising on the quality that we get from synthetic fibres, natural fibres are being used. As research in this field grows, due to their sustainable and economically viable advantages, natural fibres are being given more and more importance and giving tough competition to synthetic fibres, which too have a diverse variety. When synthetic fibres were not around, people used natural fibres. Now, that cycle is starting again, with increasing usage of fibres found naturally. We can expect only more diverse and versatile uses as industries realise the obvious benefits that these pose. Clearly, they are the fibres of the future.

REFERENCES: 1.Handbook of Technical Textiles: Edited by A R Horrocks and S C Anand 2.R. Senthil Kumar: Natural Textiles 3.Ashok Rajpurohit; Bhagwat Tiwari; Sachin Kagwade: Textile Fibre Composites and its applications 4.V Kearn; A C MacIntosh: A Crawfor; P V Hatton:Silk based biomaterials for Tissue Engineering 5.Huntsmen Handbook for Technicians- Flame Retardants 6.D.Gopalakrishnan: Recent Developments in Medical Textiles 7.www.losma.com/air-filters/green-filter.html 8.Sudripta Roy; Md. Siddiqui Rahman: Prospects of Technical Textiles with emphasis on Jute Geotextiles 9.D.Gopalakrishnan: Agro Textiles- A Rising Wave 10.D.Saravanan: UV Protection Textile Materials 11.Indian Textile Journal: Application of Natural Fibres in Agro Textiles 12.Indian Textile Journal: Water repellent finish for cotton 13.Biomimetics: http://www.textiletoday.com.bd/index.php?pid=magazine&id=30 14.Balendu Shekhar Jha;Chantal E.Ayres; Jame R.Bowman; Todd A. Telemeco : Electrospun Collagen, A Tissue Engineering Scaffold 15.http://www.nano-tex.com/index.html 16.Alpha Galileo Foundation:High Tech Flax and Hemp-From car panels to light weight concrete 17.New Trends in Biotextiles- Ruman D. Sumansinghe