A sustainable approach to utilize an agro-based weedy plant “Urena lobata” in blend yarn manufacturing in short-staple ring spinning

• Published in: Cellulose (London) 2023-10, Vol.30 (15), p.9815-9827
• Main Authors: Hasan, Kamrul, Rahman, Sadikur, Habib, Md. Atik Bin, Tanjil, Muhammad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioorganic Chemistry; Ceramics; Chemical treatment; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composites; Cotton; Feasibility studies; Glass; Manufacturing; Natural Materials; Organic Chemistry; Original Research; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Ring spinning; Sustainable Development; Unevenness; Vegetable fibers; Yarn; Yarns
• ISSN: 0969-0239; 1572-882X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10570-023-05465-5

Agro-based weedy plants are ubiquitous globally and adversely impact the environment, agriculture, and human health. Thus, it would be a noteworthy accomplishment to mitigate the impact of these inescapable plants by repurposing them for beneficial ends. The present study employed the utilization of an agro-based weedy plant, namely “ Urena lobata ,” to manage agro-based waste effectively. For the first time, this study investigates the feasibility of manufacturing Urena lobata (UL) blend yarn in the ring spinning system. The Urena lobata (UL) fiber, which is naturally extracted, is a bast fiber with a long staple length. This fiber is processed into staple form and subsequently blended with cotton and polyester fibers. In this research, the maximum ratio of Urena lobata (UL) fiber in the form of chemically treated and untreated fiber was 25%, a homogenous blend with cotton and polyester to spun blend yarn using the conventional ring spinning system. Chemically treated and untreated 75/25% cotton/ Urena lobata (CO/UL) and 75/25% Polyester/ Urena lobata (PO/UL) blend yarns were characterized by their unevenness (U%), irregularity index (I), imperfection index (IPI), hairiness, and bundle yarn strength. Furthermore, optical microscopic images were utilized to observe the morphological characteristics of the fiber structure in the longitudinal view of the yarn. The Chemically treated Urena lobata (UL) blend yarn exhibited superior outcomes in comparison to untreated Urena lobata (UL) blend yarn. The chemical treatment of the blended yarn resulted in performance levels that fell within acceptable ranges. This indicates that the blended yarn can be deemed a sustainable blend component that is capable of meeting the current demand in the textile spinning industry.