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Types, Properties and Application of Vegetable Fibers

October 24, 2021 by Mazharul Islam Kiron

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Vegetable Fibers: Types, Properties and Uses

Nikhil Yogesh Upadhye

Department of Textiles (Textile Chemistry)
DKTE’S Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, India
Intern at Textile Learner
Email: [email protected]

Introduction
The main chemical component of vegetable fibers is cellulose. So vegetables fibers are
also called cellulosic fibers. Vegetables fibers are plant origin, so it is also called plant
fiber. Cotton, hemp, jute, flax, abaca, pia, ramie, sisal, bagasse, and banana are
examples of vegetable fibers based on cellulose arrangements, typically with lignin. Plant
fibers are used to make paper and textiles (clothing), and dietary fiber is an important
part of human nutrition. Spinning and weaving were accepted daily routines in every
home prior to the Industrial Revolution, and the transformation of fibers into textiles
remained a household industry. It was a craft, a skilled occupation practiced by working
people who passed down their knowledge from generation to generation.

Classification of Vegetable Fibers / Plant Fibers:

Figure 1: Classification of plant fibers

A. Vegetables Fibers from Seed

1. Cotton fiber:
Cotton fiber is made up of hundreds of thousands of cellulose molecules. Cotton
ginning is a mechanical process that removes cotton from seed bolls. The cotton is then
ginned and pressed into bales before being sent to factories to be spun into yarns. Cotton
is a vegetable fiber that surrounds the cotton plant’s seeds. Cotton has been grown in
some form or another for over 5000 years. Cotton is a member of the “GOSSYPIUM”
family of plants. Cotton is the world’s most widely used natural fiber and the undisputed
“king” of the global textiles industry, consisting almost entirely of cellulose used for
many applications.

Physical properties of cotton fiber:

Sr. No Property Values

1. fiber structure Kidney shape

2. Length 10mm-80mm

3. Fineness 12-25µ

4. Tenacity (gpd) Dry 3.0-5.0

5. Tenacity (gpd) wet 3.5-6 (20% higher than dry)

6. Tensile Strength 2800-8400

7. Elongation (%) 5-10

8. Elastic Recovery (at 2- %) 74

9. Elastic recovery (at 5%) 45

10. Density (gm/cc) 1.54

11. Moisture Regain (%) 6-8

12. Effect of age Small loss of strength

13. Effect of sunlight Turns yellow

14. Effect of heat Decomposes markedly at 150°C

15. Crystallinity 63-67

16. Mol. Wt. 30000-40000

17. DP 2000-5000

18. CED (cal/mol/5Å chain length) 6200

Applications of cotton fiber:

It is used in wide range of wearing apparel for example in shirts, dresses, swimwear,
suits, jackets, skirts, pants, sweaters, hosiery.

Cotton nonwovens are used as swabs, puffs, wipes, filters, weddings, personal care
products like in diaper, for home decoration curtains, draperies, bedspreads, comforters,
throws, sheets, towels, tablecloths, table mats, napkins, bedding, and household
furnishing.

2. Kapok fiber:
Kapok, also known as capok, is a cellulosic fiber that is found in nature. It’s made from
the kapok tree’s seed hairs (Ceiba pentandra). Silk cotton or java cotton are other names
for kapok. It has a smooth, light, unicellular, cylindrically shaped, hollow body, is very
buoyant, and has a twist-free fiber. However, it quickly degrades. Kapok fibers are not
suitable for spinning into yarn on their own. The cause is silky, slick, and brittle. As a
result, spinning fiber into yarns is difficult. The kapok fiber is distinguished by its
yellowish or light-brown color and silk-like luster. Unlike cotton fiber, kapok fiber is
made up of single-celled plant hairs. Because of its hollow air-filled lumen and high void
content, this fiber is commonly used as stuffing for sound and heat insulation, bedding,
life preservers, and other water safety equipment. Due to its exceptional buoyancy.
Kapok fiber-based materials have opened up a world of possibilities in various
application fields due to their unique characteristics.

Physical properties of kapok fibers:

Component Characteristics

Lustrous, yellowish brown and made of a mix of lignin

1. Appearance
and cellulose.

2. Fineness 0.4-0.7 denier.

3. Elongation at break 1.8-4.23.

4. Tenacity 1.4-1.74 gram/denier.

5. Thermal behavior of Static immobile air held in the large lumen region of
kapok kapok makes a better heat retention.

Excellent oil absorbency and retention capacity due to

6. Absorbency
its waxy surface and large percent of lumen.

7. Light weight 8-10 times lighter than cotton by volume.

8. Effect of Acids Damaged by acid.

Showed good resistance and doesn’t damaged by

9. Effect of Alkalis
alkalis.

10. Moisture content 11.23

Applications of kapok fiber:

1. Mattress/Pillow stuffing
2. Clothing
3. Life-saving equipment
4. Construction of thermally insulated and soundproof covers and walls,
5. Technical textiles Yachts and boats furnishing, insulating materials in refrigeration
systems
6. Substitute of cotton in surgery
7. By products such as Kapok seed oil.

B. Vegetables Fibers from Fruit

1. Coconut / Coir fiber:

Coir, also known as coconut fiber, is a natural fiber derived from the husk of a coconut
that is used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. The
fibrous material found between a coconut’s hard internal shell and its outer coat is
known as coir. Upholstery padding, sacking, and horticulture are some of the other
applications for brown coir (made from ripe coconut). Finer brushes, string, rope, and
fishing nets are made from white coir, which is harvested from unripe coconuts. It has
the advantage of not sinking, allowing it to be used in long lengths in deep water without
dragging boats and buoys down.

Physical properties of coir fiber:

Ultimate length 0.6 mm

Diameter/width 16 micron

Length 6 to 8 inches

Single fiber Density 1.4 g/cc

Tenacity 10 g/ tex

Breaking Elongation 30%

Moisture regain at 65% RH 10.5%

Swelling in water 5% in diameter

Applications of coir fiber:

Brushes, doormats, mattresses, and sacking are all made from coir. A small amount is
used to make twine. Curled brown coir fiber pads are shaped and cut to fill mattresses
and for erosion control on river banks and hillsides using needle-feting (a machine
technique that mats the fibers together). Rubber latex is sprayed on a large percentage of
coir pads to bond the fibers together (rubberized coir) for use as upholstery padding in
automobiles. Insulation and packaging are two other applications for the material. Coir
is primarily used in the production of rope. Hand or mechanical looms are used to weave
woven coir fiber mats from the finer grades of bristle and white fiber. Rope and twine,
brooms and brushes, doormats, rugs, mattresses and other upholstery, often in the form
of rubberized coir pads, are all traditional uses for the resilient and durable coir fiber.

C. Vegetables Fibers from Leaves

1. Abaca fiber:
The fibers are usually obtained from the leaves. Manila hemp is another name for abaca.
It has a similar appearance to the banana plant, but its properties and uses are
completely different. It is a Musasea family plant that is native to Asia and is commonly
found in humid areas such as the Philippines and Indonesia’s east coast. Ecuador and
Costa Rica also grow it commercially. Ropes, woven fabrics, tea bags, filter paper, and
banknotes are all made from abaca fibers. It’s also known as biodegradable and long-
lasting fiber. Abaca fiber is three times stronger than sisal fiber and far more resistant
to saltwater decomposition than most vegetable fibers. Typically, fibers are obtained
through a variety of methods.

abaca fiber

Figure 2: Abaca fiber

Properties of abaca fiber:

Tensile strength Strain Young’s Moduls

fiber
Sample
thickness
( MPa ) (mm/mm) ( MPa )

Abaca 1 72.594 0.0102 7117.09

5 148.9336 0.0199 7484.102

10 188.6538 0.0301 6288.462

15 262.071 0.0398 6584.602

20 308.7 0.0484 6186.373

Applications of abaca fiber:

1. Cordage products– ropes, twines, marine cordage, binders, cord.

2. Handmade paper – paper sheets, stationeries, all-purpose cards, lamp shades, balls,
dividers, placemats, bags, photo frames and albums, flowers, table cloth
3. Fiber crafts– handbags, hammocks, placemats, rugs, carpets, purses and wallets,
fishnets, door mats, table clock.
4. Furniture, Others– wire insulator and cable, automobile, automobile
components/composites

2. Sisal fiber:
During its productive period, the sisal plant produces approximately 200-250 leaves.
The sisal plant has a lifespan of 7-10 years. Sisal leaves have a sword-like shape and grow
to be 1.5 to 2 meters tall. Young leaves may have a few small teeth along their edges, but
as they mature, they lose them. A good sisal plant produces about 200 commercially
used leaves, with a mass composition of 4% fiber, 0.75 percent cuticle, 8% other dry
matter, and 87.25 percent moisture in each leaf. A typical sisal leaf weighing 600g yields
about 3% by weight of fiber, with each leaf containing about 1000 fibers. Retting,
scraping, or retting followed by scraping are all methods for extracting the fiber from the
leaf. The fiber is extracted from the leaf using retting, scraping, or retting followed by
scraping, as well as mechanical means such as decorticators. The fiber diameter ranges
from 100mm to 300mm.

Physical properties of sisal fibers:

Length = 2.88 mm
Width = 22.6 µm
Tenacity = 57.2 cN/Tex
Elongation = 3.02%
Moisture regain = 13%

Uses of sisal fiber:

1. Short sisal fiber is an excellent material for high-quality sofas and wadding mats
because of its softness, high flexibility, high friction resistance, acid resistance, and
alkali resistance. Pulp materials for construction.
2. The plants’ extensive root system also helps to reduce soil erosion in arid areas, and
they can be used as an effective hedge to protect crops and land from predators.
3. Rope sisal core for steel wire rope, yarn and twine, sisal cloth polishing, buff carpet
pulp, constructing materials, and doormats are some of the other sisal materials.

3. Pineapple leaf fiber (PLF):

Because it produces both fruit and textile fiber, pineapple is one of the most important
commercially grown fiber crops. The pineapple is a common tropical plant that belongs
to the Bromeliaceae family. The pineapple is a ground fruit, unlike most Bromeliads,
which grow on trees. This plant is native to Brazil and Paraguay’s southern regions. The
quality of the pineapple used for fiber extraction differs from that which is grown as a
fruit. The leaves of a fruit-bearing plant also produce fiber, but it is not of high quality.
Pineapple plants with long leaves that have been specifically cultivated for their fiber
produce the highest quality pineapple leaf fiber. Each leaf on a mature plant is 1-3 inches
wide and 2-5 feet long, with a total of about 40 leaves on a mature plant. The average
number of plants per hectare is around 53,000, yielding 96 tonnes of fresh leaves. On
average, one tonne of fresh leaves yields 25 kg of fibers, implying that total fiber
extraction per hectare is around 2 tonnes.

Physical properties of pineapple leaf fibers:

Properties PALF

Density (g/cm3) 1.07

Tensile strength (MPa) 126.60

Elongation at break (%) 2.2

Young’s Modulus (MPa) 4405

Applications of pineapple leaf fibers:

Pineapple silk is the queen of Philippine fabrics, and it is the fabric of choice for the
country’s upper crust. Pineapple leaf fiber is sometimes combined with silk or
polyester to create a textile fabric that is lightweight, elegant, and easy to care for, similar
to linen. Pineapple threads have long been used in India and China for lines and threads,
as well as as a silk adulterant. Pineapple leaf fiber is also used to make table linens, bags,
mats, and other clothing items that require a lightweight, stiff fabric. The properties of
pineapple fiber fabric make it ideal for high-end suits, shirts, divided skirts, and
decorative fabrics.

4. Date palm fiber:

No one has ever imagined that date palm fiber could be used to make high-quality
yarn. Egyptian researchers at the Consortium have developed high-performance
sustainable textile fibers from date palm byproducts such as fronds, leaves, leaflets, and
rachis for the first time in the world. The goal of this study was to identify
physiochemical, morphological, and mechanical properties of high-performance fiber
extracted from date palm byproducts using a combined alkaline-mechanical process.

Physical properties of date palm fiber:

1. Length: 20-250 mm
2. Diameter: 100-1000 µm
3. Density: 0.9-1.2 g/cm3
4. Specific Modulus: 7 approx.
5. Thermal Conductivity: 0.083 W/m K
6. Tensile Strength: 58-203 MPa
7. Elongation at Break: 5-10%

Applications of date palm fiber:

The researchers first extracted long textile fiber from date palm byproducts, then
converted it into fiber tow, chopped fibers, yarn, non-woven mats, woven fabric, and
other products. Date palm fibers mix well with other long fibers such as sisal, flax, and
abaca fiber. Yarn can also be made by combining it with hemp or jute. These date palm
fibers are not only long-lasting, but also cost-effective to produce and process in textiles
and composites. These fibers, in particular, have the properties required for future
lightweight cars, sports goods, construction plaster reinforcement, packaging sacks,
rope, yarn, and other products.

D. Vegetables Fibers from Stem

1. Jute fiber:
Plants in the genus Corchorus, family Malvaceae, produce jute fiber. Jute is a
lignocellulosic fiber that is both a textile fiber and a wood fiber. It’s classified as a bast
fiber (fiber collected from bast or skin of the plant). The chemical composition of jute
fiber includes cellulose (64.4%), hemicellulose (12%), pectin (0.2%), lignin (11.8%),
water soluble (1.1%), wax (0.5%), and water (10%). Jute fiber is made up of multiple
cells. These cells are made up of cellulose-based crystalline micro fibrils that are
connected to a complete layer by amorphous lignin and hemicellulose. A multiple layer
composite is formed when multiple cellulose and lignin/hemicellulose layers in one
primary and three secondary cell walls stick together. The composition (ratio of cellulose
to lignin/hemicellulose) and orientation of the cellulose micro fibrils differ in these cell
walls.

Physical properties of jute fiber:

1 Ultimate length 1.5-4 mm

2 Ultimate diameter .015-.020 mm

3 No. of ultimate in X-section 6-10

4 fiber length 5-12 feet

5 Strength 3-4 gm/den

6 Elongation 1.7% at the break

7 Specific Gravity 1.5

8 Moisture Regain 13.75%

Uses of jute fiber:

1. Packaging: Bags, sacks, wrapping material i.e. cotton packs and wool packs.
2. Geotextiles – landfill covering, embankment reinforcement.
3. Braids and webbing
4. Cable filler
5. Rope
6. Furniture
7. Camp beds
8. Filter cloths
9. Hand bags
10. Covering fabrics

2. Hemp fiber:
The hemp filaments are notable for their solidity and toughness. Hemp is derived from
the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp strands are profoundly earthy colored to yellowish dark
in their raw state. Around 10,000 years ago, hemp was one of the first and most common
plants to be turned into texture. It originated in Central Asia and is now grown in the
United States, Italy, Canada, Germany, France, the Philippines, and India.

hemp fiber

Figure 3: Hemp fiber

Physical properties of hemp fiber:

1. Color: The color of hemp fiber is yellowish grey to deep brown.

2. Length: 4 to 6.5% feet.
3. Tensile Strength: Hemp is a very strong fiber.
4. Elongation at break: Hemp fibers stress easily.
5. Elastic Recovery: Elastic recovery is very poor. It is less than linen fiber.
6. Moisture Regain (MR %): Standard moisture regain is 12%. It is more than cotton
and linen.
7. Effect of Heat: Hemp fiber has an excellent resistance to degradation by heat.

Applications of hemp fiber:

Rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, and biofuel are just a
few of the commercial and industrial products made from hemp. The bast fibers can be
used to make 100% hemp textiles, but they’re more commonly mixed with other fibers
like flax, cotton, or silk, as well as virgin and recycled polyester, to create woven fabrics
for apparel and furnishings.

3. Flax fiber:
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a flowering plant in the Linaceae family that is also
known as common flax or linseed. In temperate climates around the world, it is grown as
a food and fiber crop. Linen is a term for flax-based textiles that have traditionally been
used for bed sheets, underclothing, and table linen in Western countries. Linseed oil is
the name for the oil that it produces. The term “flax” can also refer to the flax plant’s
unspun fibers, in addition to the plant itself. The plant is only known as a cultivated
species, and it appears to have been domesticated only once from the wild species Linum
bienne, also known as pale flax.

Physical characteristics of flax fiber:

Density- 1.4 gm/cc

Standard Moisture regain- 10 to 12%
Diameter of stem – 2 to 3 mm
Tenacity- 6 to 8.5 gm/ den

Uses of flax fiber:

Uses in the End Demand when extra strength and resistance to moisture required.
Because of the production method, it is more expensive than cotton. Sailcloth is one of
the most common uses for this material. Tent Threads for shoes Threads for sewing
Tablecloths, handkerchiefs, towels, and sheets, garments.

4. Kenaf fiber:
Natural fibers are in high demand around the world because they are renewable and
biodegradable. A wide range of fibers are used as raw materials in the textile industry.
Kenaf fiber was one of these fibers that was known and used in the pre-civilization era
as well as in the modern era. Kenaf fiber is a well-known natural fiber that is used to
reinforce polymer matrix composites. Kenaf is derived from the Hibiscus cannabinus
plant, which has traditionally been used to make cordage and coarse fabrics. It’s
primarily used as a jute substitute. The bast and core of kenaf contain the fibers.

kenaf fiber plant

Figure 4: Kenaf fiber plant

Physical properties of kenaf:

Density (g/cm3) 1.2

Breaking Strength (MPa) 100.64

Elastic Modulus (GPa) 23

Yarn Breaking load (N) 79

Tensile Strength (MPa) 283-800

Elongation (%) 17.3

Moisture Absorption (%) 8.3

Uses of kenaf fiber:

1. Ropes.
2. Twine.
3. Sackcloth.
4. Newsprint paper
5. Garments that do not require lining.
6. Sacking.
7. Cordage.
8. Hessian.
9. Upholstery

5. Raffia fiber:
Raffia is a naturally occurring fiber. Jute, bamboo, and hemp fibers all have similar
properties. Raffia fiber is obtained by peeling the leaves of the raffia palm. Raffia is an
excellent material for weaving baskets, hats, mats, and rugs because it is soft, pliable,
strong, durable, and biodegradable. It’s also commonly used in agriculture to tie
vegetables, vineyard plants, flowers, and floral arrangements. Natural pigments are
usually used to dye it. Following the growth in a particular geographical region, certain
textile fibers become rare in nature. While the rarity of such fibers distinguishes them,
there are a few drawbacks associated with their rarity. The sale and global use of such
fibers are determined by factors such as international trade, popularity of the fiber in the
fashion world, various uses associated with the fiber, economic viability, and so on. Bark,
raffia, cotton, wool, and silk fibers are some of the raw materials for textile fabrics in
some African regions. Raffia, bark, and silk, for example, are not abundant due to the
limited production area.

Properties of raffia fiber: