Bast Fibres - 1

Jute and Flax are examples of bast fibres. In this article, we will discuss about jute fibre.

JUTE
Introduction
Jute is a natural fibre with golden and silky shine and hence called The Golden Fibre. It is
the cheapest vegetable fibre procured from the bast or skin of the plant's stem and the
second most important vegetable fibre after cotton, in terms of usage, global
consumption, production, and availability. It has high tensile strength, low extensibility,
and ensures better breath ability of fabrics.
Types
There are mainly two type of jute. They are Chorchorus Capsularis (white) and
Chorchorus Olitorious ( tossa ) while the Capsularis fibre is whitish in colour and
Olitorious fibre is finer and stronger than the Capsularis and is yellow reddish, or greyish
in colour.
Method of Cultivating and Processing
Jute is generally sown in February on lowlands and in March-May on uplands. The crop
takes 8- 10 months to mature but different varieties take different time to mature. The
harvesting period generally starts in July and continues till October.
The plants are cut to the ground and tied into bundles. Sheaves of jute stocks are then
immersed in flood water or ponds or stagnant water for about 2 to 3 weeks for retting.
High temperature of water quickens the process of retting. Gently flowing clear and soft
water is ideal for retting. Ditches, tanks and pools are used for retting. Incomplete
submersion and retting in stagnant water produce inferior quality of fibre. Most defects
are due to faulty retting. Over retting results in weak and lustre-less fibres.
After retting is complete, the bark is peeled from the plant and fibre is removed.
After this, stripping, rinsing, washing and cleaning is done and the fibre is dried in the
sun and pressed into bales. All this process is to be done by human hand for which
availability of plenty of labour at cheap rates is very essential. Luckily, this labour is
readily available because jute is cultivated in areas of high population density.
Difference between Tossa and White Jute

Tossa and white jute can be differentiated by their leaf characteristics like in tossa jute
the leaves are drooping, bigger in size, yellowish green with less serration whereas in
white jute the leaves are straight, relatively smaller in size, dark green in colour with
deep serration. Properly retted tossa jute fibre is golden yellow in colour whereas in
case of white jute it is white in colour.
Varieties of Tossa and White Jute
Tossa Jute: JRO-632, JRO-878,JRO-7835, JRO-524, JRO-3690, JRO-66, JRO-8432, JRO-128
White Jute: JRC-321, JRC-212, JRC-7447, Padma, JRC-698
JRC-321 under white jute and JRO-878 under tossa jute are regarded as the finest fibre.
Grading
Both the Capsularis and Olitorious jute bear amenable to grading systems. White jute
has 8 classes viz. W-1 to W-8 and tossa jute has 8 classes viz. TD-1 to TD-8 on the basis
of length, strength, fineness, and lustre and free from enlargements and roots. Basic
variety is W-5 in case of white jute and TD-5 in case of tossa jute. Similarly, quality wise
Mesta has been graded in 6 classes viz. M-1 to M-6.
Chemical composition
Constituents
(in % of Bone Dry Weight
of the Fibre)
Alphacellulose
Hemicellulose
Lignin
Fats & Waxes
Pectin
Proteins/Nitrogenous
matter
Ash

Jute
C. capsularis
60.0 63.0
21.0 24.0
12.0 13.0
0.4 1.0
0.2 1.5
0.8 1.9

C. olitorius
58.0 - 59.0
22.0 25.0
13.0 14.0
0.4 0.9
0.2 0.5
0.8 1.6

0.7 1.2

0.5 1.2

Physical Properties
Length
The reeds of Jute fibre vary from 3 to 14 feet long, depending on the grade, and they
show taper from root to end. Thick reeds contain coarse fibre and thin reeds contain
finer fibre. It constitutes with ultimate fibres of average length of 2.5mm.
Fineness

It is a coarse fibre. Its diameter varies from 6 to 20 microns.

Strength
Fibres are not so strong when compared with some other bast fibres but have good
tensile strength. Fibres are naturally hard and brittle and break off with abrasion.
Resistance to mechanical wear is low and not durable especially on exposure in
moisture reduces its strength. Its extension at break is 2%.
Colour
The best quality fibres are pale white or silvery grey, common qualities are brownish
and greenish are inferior, roots are usually darker without any luster. Better quality
fibres shows matt and pitted surface with very poor strength.
Lustre
Better quality fibres have fairly high lustre but inferior quality fibres shows matte and
pitted surface with very poor strength.
Roots
Base portion of the Jute stems is more rigid and has a stronger supporting bark than the
rest of the stem. This is due to longer exposure of this part to the action of the sunlight
and water. During grade shorting, the root portion are removed by cutting and baled
separately known as bale cutting.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness of fibre is an essential factor for high grade. Adhering portions of bark,
specks sticks etc. are undesirable which affects grading according to their degree of
presence.
Chemical Properties
Water
Jute is a hygroscopic fibre i.e. it takes in or gives out moisture to its surrounding
atmosphere. Under standard testing atmosphere, moisture content value is 12.8% and
moisture regain value of this fibre is 14.6%.
Acid

This fibre is damaged by the action of strong acid hence wet processing on Jute fibre is
not done in acid medium.
Alkali
It is safe in alkali medium; hence wet treatment is done on alkali medium.
Effect of biological agents and light
It is attacked and damaged by the action of micro-biological agents like bacteria, fungus,
moths, insects etc. in worm damp condition. Yellowing of the fibre is observed due to
the effect of sunlight.
Uses
The end uses of Jute are limitless and some of its uses are given below.
Core uses
Jute is mainly used in making twine and rope, sackings, carpets, wrapping fabrics (cotton
bale) and the construction fabric manufacturing industry. It can be used in curtains,
chair coverings, carpets, area rugs, hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum. Other uses
include espadrilles, floor coverings, home textiles, high performance textiles,
Geotextiles, and composites. While jute is being replaced by synthetic materials in many
of these uses, jute is still valuable due to its biodegradable nature. Synthetics are not
suitable in some cases. For example certain planting containers for young trees planted
directly without disturbing the roots, and land restoration cloth to prevent erosion while
natural vegetation grows are two good uses.
Twine and Rope
A very popular use: jute fibres are used alone or blended with other types of fibres to
make twine and rope.
Paper
Jute fibres can be turned into pulp and paper and with increasing concern over forest
destruction for the wood pulp used to make most paper, the importance of jute for this
purpose may increase.
Textile machineries such as textile fibres having cellulose (vegetable fibre content) and
lignin (wood fibre content). Just is applied in the automobile, pulp and paper, and the
furniture and bedding industries to manufacture non-wovens, technical textiles, and
composites.

Home textiles
Jute has many advantages in home textiles, either replacing cotton or blending with it. It
is a strong, durable, colour and light-fast fibre. Its UV protection, sound and heat
insulation, low thermal conduction and anti-static properties are advantageous. Jute
fibres are also carbon-dioxide neutral, naturally decomposable and can be used in high
performance technical materials.
Fabrics
Jute can be used for Hessian cloth, sacking, scrim, carpet backing cloth (CBC), canvas
and even blended to make silk. Hessian, lighter than sacking, is used for bags, wrappers,
wall-coverings, upholstery, and home furnishings. Sacking, a fabric made of heavy jute
fibres, has its use in the name. CBC made of jute comes in two types.
Jute packaging is used as an eco-friendly substitute.
Floor coverings consist of woven, tufted and piled carpets. Jute non-wovens and
composites can be used for underlay, linoleum substrate, and more.
Geotextiles made jute more popular in the agricultural sector. It is a lightly woven fabric
made from natural fibres that is used for soil erosion control, seed protection, weed
control, and many other agricultural and landscaping uses.
Food
Jute leaves are consumed in various parts of the world. It is a popular vegetable in West
Africa. It is made into a common mucilaginous soup or sauce in some West African
cooking traditions.