Potentiality of sustainable corn starch-based biocomposites reinforced with cotton filter waste of spinning mill

Sustainable development of three distinct starch based bio-composites reinforced with the cotton spinning waste collected from fiber preparation stage

Composites are new materials that combine two or more distinct components with diverse properties to create a new material with improved properties. The goal of this endeavor was to use fiber preparation wastes, or waste from cotton spinning mill blow room and carding, to produce bio composites based on starch. The matrix was prepared using the starches of potatoes, maize, and arrowroot, and any remaining reinforcing material was used. A hand layup technique was used to make the bio-composites. Tensile, bending, density, water absorbency, and SEM testing were among the studies used to illustrate the starch-based biodegradable materials. The maximum tensile strength of 0.49 MPa is displayed by sample AB. The resistive bending force of 3.71 MPa is greatest in Sample AB. The most uniform combination of reinforcing material (wastage cotton) and matrix is seen in PB's SEM picture. Among the samples, AB had the greatest density value, measuring 0.35 g/cm3. The sample PC had the highest absorption findings in both water and the 5 % HCl combination because carding waste had more fiber than blow room and fiber absorbs more water. The resultant bio-composites made of starch had the potential to replace Styrofoam.

Development of sustainable dual core-spun yarns using several filaments and recycled cotton sourced from pre-consumer fabric waste

Textile industries are now focusing on sustainable issues in manufacturing operations to save the environment. The study focuses on the use of cotton fibers (recycled) sourced from fabric (knitted) waste (pre-consumer) to manufacture elastic yarn (dual-core) for denim fabric. The study involves the production of yarns (dual-core) using a redesigned ring spinning method with different elastomeric components, including T400® (Polyethylene terephthalate)/Polytrimethylene terephthalate), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyester (PES), Lycra® (elastane), virgin cotton and cotton (recycled) fiber. The study investigates various yarn (Ne 18/1) characteristics such as strength, IPI (imperfection index), elongation %, unevenness %, and hairiness. It is noticed that the elongation and strength of recycled yarn (double core) are lower and IPI (Imperfection index), unevenness %, and hairiness values are higher than 100 % cotton (virgin) yarn (double core). One-way ANOVA (statistical analysis) is employed to assess the significance of differences among yarns manufactured from various core materials and found significant variation for all characteristics. Additionally, the article introduces the MOORA (multi-objective optimization based on ratio analysis) technique as a decision-making tool to determine the best yarn among three alternatives (PES yarn, PBT yarn, and T400 yarn) based on their properties, considering attributes and finding T400 filament containing yarn as the best option. The study introduces a sustainable approach using recycled cotton in yarn (double core) production and employs decision-making tools to assess and rank the performance of different yarn alternatives.

A review of starch-based biocomposites reinforced with plant fibers

Renewable and biodegradable resources have gained increasing attention as promising alternatives to synthetic plastics. Among the diverse raw materials employed in bioplastics production, starch emerges as an attractive, low-cost, and largely available source. However, the inherent properties of starch-based materials often limit their utility across various applications, necessitating strategic modifications to enhance their performance. A common approach to boost these materials involves incorporating natural fillers into biopolymer matrices. Incorporating natural fibers within starch matrices enables the development of biocomposites with improved properties while retaining their renewable and biodegradable characteristics. This review briefly addresses fundamental aspects of starch structure, obtention, and processing, as well as the main pre-treatments of natural fibers and processing methods currently applied to produce starch-based composites. It also highlights the most recent advances in this field, elucidates the effect of the incorporation of fibers on the biocomposite properties, and discusses the critical parameters affecting the synergic combination between starch and fibers.

Sustainable and cleaner production of elastic core-spun yarns for stretch denim with maximal utilization of recycled cotton extracted from pre-consumer fabric waste

Stretch denim is an exclusive and stylish textile made with elastic core-spun yarns. It has gained substantial traction for offering essential elasticity and resilience to the garments while retaining a snug fit and comfort when worn. Denim is produced from coarser cotton yarns necessitating a significant quantity of cotton fiber. Owing to the escalating costs of cotton and the harmful environmental impacts associated with its cultivation, it is imperative to explore alternative fibers for denim. Herein, for the very first time, an expedient technique of manufacturing elastic core-spun denim yarns utilizing recycled cotton is investigated. Recycled cotton fibers, in the range of 10-60 %, extracted from pre-consumer fabric waste were blended with virgin cotton and spun into 16 Ne (36.9 Tex) elastic core-spun yarns. To address the challenges posed by the lower spinnability of recycled fibers, attributed to lower fiber length, uniformity index, and higher short fiber content, a compact spinning system featuring a novel pin spacer was used. This combination effectively improved the fiber control within the drafting zone, enabling maximum incorporation of recycled cotton, up to 60 %, into the yarn. The produced yarns exhibited significantly lower unevenness, imperfections, and hairiness along with higher strength and elongation that fell within the top 5 %-50 % ranking of Uster Statistics 2023. The elastic core yarn, even containing 60 % recycled fiber, demonstrated its suitability for use as a weft yarn in a commercial high-speed air-jet loom operating at 950 rpm (equivalent to weft speed 94 km/h or 1577 m/min). The production of denim yarn incorporating 60 % recycled cotton represents an innovative concept to advance sustainable development goal (SDG) 12. This initiative aims to reduce the proportional demand for cotton cultivation and its subsequent processing, thereby making significant contributions to environmental preservation on various fronts. Moreover, this approach offers potential cost savings in the production of denim clothing.