Green clothing fiber - loofah fiber and fiber

The so-called “green environmental protection fiber” should meet the following three conditions from the ecological point of view: (1) The use of renewable resources in raw materials will not destroy the ecological balance and lead to resource depletion; (2) The production process will not cause pollution to the environment. Meet the requirements of energy conservation and environmental protection, the product is healthy and comfortable to wear; (3) the finished product can be recycled or can be degraded under natural conditions after being discarded. This article briefly describes the properties, applications and development prospects of the loofah fiber and the fiber.

1 Loofah fiber

1.1 Background of Loofah Fiber With the growth of the “Loofah King” at numerous vegetable exhibitions in recent years, large loofahs of several meters in length have been seen everywhere, but they are mainly used as ornamentals. However, such a long loofah can do much if it is dried on the vine. Of course, no matter whether it is a short gourd or a long loofah, it cannot be just a dish on the table. With the extensive cultivation and promotion of these products over the past few years, the loofah fiber products have become diversified. After being processed, they can be made into sponge gourd Insoles, pillow cores, mattresses, bath sets and more than a hundred kinds of different life and health products.

1.2 The performance of loofah fiber Loofah fiber is a mature, dry loofah, which appears inside the reticular fiber, folk also known as loofah, loofah cloth and so on. The history of the use of loofah fibers by our people is very long. During the Ming Dynasty, there were records of ancient medical works such as "Chinese Herbal Medicine", "Medical Forest Essentials" and "Materia Medica again". Chinese medicine generally believes that it has cooling blood and detoxification. Dewetting and other effects. Modern scientific research has also found that loofah contains xylan, mannan, galactan, etc., and has sedative, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Loofah fibers are grid-like, flexible and elastic, strong water absorption, moisture regain higher than cotton fibers and similar to hemp, moisture absorption, sweat absorption, good air permeability.

1.3 Application of Loofah Fibers 1.3.1 Loofah insoles As the saying goes “People have feet, they just look like trees have roots; trees withered roots first, and people with old feet decay first.” Natural loofah health insole can overcome cowhide insole hard , Deformation, odor, plastic shoe insole slip, odor and other drawbacks, it will not be as sweat insoles as sweat will be more sticky, not easy to mildew, even more sweat, the surface is dry, a bit like "urine Not wet." In addition, loofah can improve the warm and humid environment inside the shoes, inhibit the growth of bacteria; can effectively absorb shock, reduce the damage to various parts of the body during exercise; due to the special structure of natural plant fibers, loofah insoles breathable Sex is second to none in insoles and long-term use can prevent foot odor, sweat and beriberi. Long-lasting loofah insoles can also be transformed into environmentally-friendly tools for scrubbing soles.

1.3.2 Natural Loofah Bath Products Natural loofah shower products have become one of the first choices for consumers in bathing beauty and health products, and have become essential items in many hotels, bath centers and family shower rooms. The loofah is tough. The bath products made of natural loofah can bathe, massage, and massage. It can effectively remove the dust on the skin surface and remove excess fat in the pores. It is very good for skin diseases such as whiteflies and acne. The efficacy and prevention of health care, while promoting blood circulation, speed up the metabolism, enhance their immunity. After use, it feels comfortable and refreshing. It will make your skin ruddy, healthy, and youthful after long-term use. It will delay the natural aging caused by age.

1.3.3 Loofah Fiber Bedding Products Mattress fiber mattresses and bed pillows are generally wrapped with a pure cotton cover, not direct contact, which can absorb and eliminate human sweat, moisture, odor, keep the air fresh, bed Dry, creating a comfortable, perfect sleep environment.

Loofah Tongluo, cooling blood detoxification and other effects, make sleep can also promote blood circulation and metabolism, relieve fatigue, improve sleep quality. It has obvious auxiliary effects on shoulder pain, low back pain, joint pain, insomnia, asthma and other symptoms. Loofah's antibacterial, deodorant, moisture-proof effect, making bedding keep dry, green, healthy health.

Loofah pillows, neck pillows, cushions, etc. made from the inner bladder can purify the air, remove odors, absorb moisture and mold, and keep the air fresh. Suitable for placing on beds, seats, sofas, chairs. The seat cushion is one of health care products for the treatment of bone spurs.

1.3.4 Loofah Toys and Accessories Pure natural plant fiber pet toys can be digested even if they are eaten in the stomach. They can also remove animal's tartar, and the fiber material is not easily exposed to dust on the ground. Loofah made of decorations with rural flavor, but also gradually into the people's attention, small to mobile phone pendants, costumes, accessories to large ornaments.

1.4 Insufficient At the same time, there is no corresponding industrial regulation to regulate and regulate the products of loofah, but at the same time, consumers need to pay more attention to the purchase and use:

(1) At the time of purchase, it is necessary to firstly combine “smell, touch, and see” to visually identify and prevent spoiled loofah products from shoddy. At present, the loofah fiber is still in the state of post-processing. Due to the limitations of its processing conditions, the shelf life of the loofah fiber product is limited by the preservation environment, so the washed loofah fiber product is desiccated and dried as much as possible after sealing. save.

(2) If moldy black is found during use, discard as much as possible. However, darkening after washing is a normal phenomenon.

(3) Use mild detergents during washing to increase its service life. For mattresses, bed pillows, etc., only the outer cover needs to be washed, and the loofah fiber products therein can be regularly dried.

2 fiber

2.1 The background of lotus fiber The cultivation area of ​​lotus root in China is nearly 10 million mu. The main harvest is lotus root and lotus seed. A large number of charge stems are not withered and rot. They are thrown away at will. If the weight of each rod of lotus is 2.5 tons, Tens of tons of spent rods are abandoned each year [4]. If this natural agricultural waste can be processed into a new fiber through scientific and rational processing, it will bring enormous economic and social benefits.

2.2 The performance of fiber-filled fiber-filled fiber, derived from the agricultural waste after the harvest of lotus root - lotus leaf stem, also known as "Lotus fiber" [5]. The fiber is a plant fiber formed by the ribbon-shaped helical ducts in the stem of the lotus leaf and the secondary walls of the tracheids. The fiber extracted by the physical method is slender and soft, and the ribbon is spirally twisted in the longitudinal direction and has a horizontal section. The appearance is milky yellow. The fiber is a flat ribbon multifilament fiber formed by a plurality of monofilament fibers (or microfibers) and is generally composed of 4 to 10 monofilaments. The monofilament fibers have a diameter of about 4 [mu]m, and the monofilament fibers have a lateral association pitch of 3 to 5 [mu]m. The lotus fiber presents a cross-sectional shape that resembles a round or ovoid shape with cross-sections of mid-cavities and holes.

Artificially-extracted fiber from fresh rods has the characteristics of silk. The length is long, the fineness is fine, the color is white, soft and flowing; and the dry mechanical processing method is more like hemp fiber, the fiber is rougher, and the color is brownish white. . The density of the fiber is smaller than that of cotton and castor, and it is close to that of silk and acrylic. The density of the fiber is small, the weight is light, and the fiber is soft and elegant. The linear density of the fiber is less than that of ramie and silk, and it is close to the linear density of cotton fiber and cotton chemical fiber. It can be seen that the thin fiber is good for the yarn strength and evenness of the yarn, and it can spin high-density yarn. The moisture regain of the fiber is close to that of ramie, which is larger than that of cotton and silk. It is smaller than wool and viscose and has good hygroscopicity.

2.3 The application of the charge fiber The preparation method of the charge fiber mainly includes: the artificial direct extraction method of the fresh fiber and the mechanical processing method of the dry charge bar. In addition, after soaking, the microorganisms in the water are used to partially decompose the charge bar, and then after drying, drying and mechanical processing are performed to make the fibers easier to obtain. The fiber processing methods are all naturally based on the physical method of processing, up to the use of microorganisms for pre-treatment. Almost no adverse effect on the natural environment, and the resulting fiber can be any textile processing, is an excellent textile fiber. The Dutch fiber is a kind of better textile processing fiber, and the fiber belongs to the filament type fiber, and the length is long, and the short fiber spinning can be cut.

The fiber is used for pure spinning or blending. The woven fabric has the characteristics of rough fabric, soft and comfortable touch, natural comfort and no damage to the skin. It is ideal for making summer clothing such as coats, shirts and T-shirts. The fabric is particularly suitable for wearing in a hot and humid environment. The fiber is used for medical surgical sutures, gauze, blood strips and tourniquets. It is a new type of medical material and dressing in the medical field today. It solves the problems of adhesion, disassembly, degradation, allergy, inflammation, and hemostasis. It is characterized in that it does not cause tissue inflammation and hypoallergenic reaction at the implantation site, and can gradually penetrate and diffuse with muscles and blood molecules in the body, automatically digest and absorb biodegradation, without stitches removal, scarring, and fearlessness. Adhesion and hemostasis are fast, and are necessary supplies for internal surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, hot burn patients and general emergency trauma treatment.

In the Milan Fashion Week 2010, the Italian brand exhibitors successfully used Holland Fiber in textile production. It is believed that with people's closeness to nature, Dutch fibers will appear in front of everyone in a variety of ways.

3 Outlook

The Textile Industry Association formulates the “12th Five-Year Plan” and the development outline for the next 10 years. The important area of ​​this outline is the development strategy of fiber materials. The brunt of this is the continued use of natural fibers and their expansion [10].

The significance of loofah fiber products not only adds a new kind of natural textile materials, but also increases the diversity and added value of textile products, and it also increases the overall utilization of resources. The commercial cultivation and development of loofah in China has a history of more than ten years. Since most of the products are exported to European and American markets, they are not widely known in China. Loofah is currently recognized as the most high-end shoe gasket material in the world and has been selling well in developed markets such as Europe and the United States. With the continuous development of the domestic economy and the progress of people’s consumption concepts, it will also gradually be recognized by the majority of domestic consumers.

The fiber is rich in many trace elements that are beneficial to human health. Its fabrics have good functions of antibacterial health and moisture absorption and perspiration. In particular, the development of the fiber can make agricultural waste as a resource to develop circular agriculture, not only beneficial to Eco-environmental protection, while its products also meet the people's need for advocacy of nature, the pursuit of comfort and health care, can create good social and economic benefits for textile and garment companies.

Natural loofah fiber is a short fiber, and the fiber is a filamentous long fiber. How to really extract textile loofah fibers from loofah, and then combine the two green fibers and play a protagonist in the clothing field, which is a topic worthy of study. Of course, with the further research and discussion on the loofah fiber and fiber, we must make greater achievements in its standardization, production and commercialization.