A Brief Review On Bamboo Fiber

Bamboo fiber is a regenerated cellulosic fiber produced from bamboo. It is made from the starchy pulp of bamboo plants, processed from bamboo culms. This textile fiber is fabricated from natural bamboo and other additives. It looks like cotton in its un-spun form. Repeated technological analysis has proved that this kind of fiber has a thinness degree and whiteness degree close to normal finely bleached viscose and has a strong durability, stability and tenacity. Bamboo fiber fabric is made of 100% bamboo pulp fiber. It is characterized by its good hygroscopicity, excellent permeability, soft feel, easiness to straighten and dye and splendid color effect of pigmentation.

Many bamboo fiber manufacturers apply extensive bleaching processes to turn the color of bamboo fiber into white. However, the companies engaged in producing organic bamboo fabric leave the bamboo fiber unbleached. Bamboo fiber is thinner as compared to hair and has a round and smooth surface which makes it abrasion proof.

View of Bamboo fiber:

Longitudinal View: 

 

 Cross Sectional View:

 Properties & Features:

1. Bamboo fiber is a bast fiber.
2. In early times it is used as arrows, paper, building material etc.
3. There are approximately 1000 species of Bamboo
4. No need of pesticides
5. It reaches about 300m in height
6. Growing bamboo is considered eco-friendly agriculture
7. Softer than cotton, with a texture similar to a blend of cashmere and silk.
8. Because the cross-section of the fiber is filled with various micro-gaps and micro-holes, it has much better moisture absorption and ventilation. Moisture absorbency is twice than that of cotton with extraordinary soil release.
9. Natural antibacterial elements in bamboo fiber keep bacteria away from bamboo fabrics.
10. Garment of bamboo fiber can absorb and evaporate human sweat in a split of second just like breathing. Such a garment makes people feel extremely cool, comfortable and never sticking to skin even in hot summer.
11. 100% bamboo yarns show a great elasticity i.e. nearly 20%. Even in 100% bamboo woven fabrics a remarkable elasticity can be obtained wherein the use of elastomeric fibers like elastanes may be eliminated.
12. Bamboo fabrics need less dyestuff than cotton, modal or viscose. It seems that the absorption of dyestuffs is remarkably better. Bamboo absorbs the dyestuffs faster and shows the colors better.
13. Anti-ultraviolet nature of bamboo fibre has made it suitable for summer clothing, especially for the protection of pregnant ladies and children from the effect of ultraviolet radiation.
14. Product of bamboo fibre is eco-friendly and bio-degradable.Chemical

Chemical Structure of Bamboo fiber:

Processing of Bamboo fiber:

Two types of processing are done to obtain bamboo fibers- 1. Mechanical Processing and 2. Chemical Processing. However, in both the processes, the raw bamboo has to be split to get bamboo strips. After that, bamboo fiber is extracted either through chemical or mechanical processing.

Chemical Processing : It is basically hydrolysis alkalization. The crushed bamboo is "cooked" with the help of Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) which is also known as caustic soda or lye into a form of regenerated cellulose fiber. Hydrolysis alkalization is then done through carbon disulfide combined with multi phase bleaching. Although chemical processing is not environmental friendly but it is preferred by many manufacturers as it is a less time consuming process.

Mechanical Processing : In this method, the crushed bamboo is treated with biological enzymes. This breaks the bamboo into a mushy mass and individual fibers are then combed out. These fibers can then be spun into yarn, which is then used as bamboo fabric or linen to make cloth products. The mechanical processing of bamboo fiber is very eco-friendly, and is similar to the manufacturing of flax or hemp cloth. 

It can be shown by following way:

Raw bamboo → bamboo strip → steaming of bamboo strip → crushing and decomposing → biological enzyme degumming → fiber carding →natural original bamboo fiber

  

              Flow chart of bamboo fiber

There also 2 others processing systems. They are:

Environmentally Friendly Chemical Processing: The Lyocell process is generally considered to be the most environmentally friendly method of manufacturing bamboo cloth fiber. This is because it is in general more sustainable than most common chemical processing methods. According to the FTC, Lyocell is defined as a cellulose fabric made by an organic solvent spinning process. The chemicals used in this processing method are non-toxic and much safer for humans than other traditional processing chemicals. About 99.5% of the chemicals used are captured in a close-loop container, which means they can then be recycled with minimal amounts of them being released into the environment, avoiding air and water pollution.

Right now, people are still in the process of the developing new manufacturing methods to add to the available “green” options of bamboo fabric making. One of these processing methods is Greenyarn, which makes use of chemicals to form nano bamboo charcoal particles that can be woven into fabrics.

Common Chemical Processing Method: The most common chemical method of bamboo fabric manufacturing involve the use of carbon disulfide. First, the bamboo is crushed and its moisture kept at about 65%. The substance is then sulfirized by the addition of the carbon disulfide chemical. This step turns the bamboo cellulose solution into gel, which is in turn diluted using sodium hydroxide. The ensuing product is a viscous solution that gets passed through various nozzles and then place into another chemical solution and left to harden. After it has hardened, it gets converted into thread and spun into actual, usable fabric.

Regardless of how it is processed, bamboo makes for a very versatile clothing material. It has antibacterial qualities, for one, which it retains even after multiple washings. This means that bacteria that tend to thrive in clothing and cause unpleasant odors tend to not be as present in bamboo fabric. Bamboo can even kill odor causing bacteria in the wearer’s skin. It also has insulating qualities that help keep you warm in winter and cool in the summer. 

Applications of Bamboo Fiber

After gaining popularity as a green fiber, bamboo has found place in significant fashion circles. However, questions are often raised due to textile chemicals applied to bamboo for making them usable as fibers for clothing and other textile products.

Bamboo Clothing: The inherent anti fungal and antibacterial properties of bamboo fabrics make it suitable for such clothing as underwears, t-shirt and socks. It is especially preferred for making summer clothing as it gives protection against UV rays and for being naturally cool. The softness, sheen and drapabaility of bamboo fabric make it suitable for fashion clothing and fashion accessories like scarves. As it has good absorption and is breathable, it can be used in making any type of garments especially sports wear and inner wear. In fact, some manufacturers use a blend of 4% Lycra with bamboo to make sportswear. The softness of bamboo yarn also makes it ideal for making infant wear.

Home Furnishings Fabrics: Bamboo fabric has also come to occupy important place in manufacturing of home furnishings due its many qualities including, softness, strength, & durability among others. It is used in making cushion covers, table linen, bed linen, curtains, beddings and pillow, kitchen linen etc. Wallpapers and curtains made from bamboo fabric can absorb ultraviolet radiation very well. Upholstery fabrics are usually made with bamboo blends.

Bathroom Textiles: Bamboo fabric is increasingly being used in making bathroom furnishings. Bamboo bath towels and bath robes have soft and comfortable feel and excellent moisture absorption capability. The natural antibiotic property provides hygienic conditions as well as prevents bad odor. They are also suitable for making bath mats due to good absorbency.

Non woven fabrics: Bamboo pulp is also used for making non woven fabrics that are then used in making hygiene products such as sanitary napkin, masks, mattress, absorbent pads, food-packing bags. Again, they are preferred for such products due to anti-bacteria and absorption properties.

Medical and Hygienic Clothing & Products: Apart from non wovens, bamboo fabric itself is also used in the production of such items as textiles for surgical practices including masks, bandage, gowns etc. apart from linens, towels and drapes in hospitals.

Drawbacks of Bamboo Yarn

Bamboo textiles can be called a mixed bag from the ecological point of view. While the crop gets high marks environmentally, its processing into fabric fetches negative marks. Strong solvents are used to make bamboo fibers suitable for any textile use. These solvents affect the environment as well as the health of processing-plant workers. However, recently developed processes, such as closed-loop systems for processing of Lyocell and Tencel fabrics, use safer solvents such as acetic acid. These may also be used more frequently for organically-processed bamboo textiles. However, this depends upon how much the consumer is ready to pay for, as these processes involve huge expenditure. Apart from the chemicals destroying the natural advantages of bamboo fibers, the other drawback of bamboo fabric is that it shrinks a slightly higher than cotton.

With its few disadvantages, bamboo is still beneficial fiber, more so if processed mechanically. Its yield is 10 times that of cotton, without using any fertilizers or pesticides. Additionally, even organic cotton uses a huge amount of water for growing, whereas bamboo grows without any irrigation, often on hill slopes where nothing else can be grown. It really can give an option for sustainable development for those engaged in producing bamboo and manufacturing bamboo textiles and other products.