Cottonization is a process that adapts
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
and
hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
fibres for
spinning
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
with other
staple fibres such as
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
or
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
.
Cottonization removes impurities (non-fibrous materials such as linen or pectin) and shortens the fiber length of flax for subsequent spinning processes. Cottonized fibers are helpful in blending with other staple fibers such as cotton or wool.
Process
Cottonization can convert flax to short single fibres. These short fibres can be spun similarly to cotton. It includes the process of removing the
lignin
Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...
that holds the hemp fibres together. Lignin gives stalks their rigidity, It acts as a glue that holds the plant cell wall together.
Methods
Methods of obtaining cottonized fibers are as below:
* Mechanical
* Chemical
* Enzymatic
See also
*
Retting
Retting is a process employing the action of micro-organisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fibre bundles, and so facilitating separation of the fibre from the stem.rettin ...
*
Plasma treatment (textiles)
Plasma treatment is a surface modification process for textiles that imparts various functional properties at a lower cost, with fewer chemical adverse effects, and with a reduced environmental impact all while maintaining important textile prop ...
References
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Textile techniques
Properties of textiles