Sustainable Plant-Based Natural Fibers

Abstract

Since prehistoric ages, the most important equipment has been clothes after the nutritional requirement for humans; therefore, the history of textile fibers dates back to B.C. 9000 years. In these years, flax was harvested in Mesopotamia, cotton was cultivated in the Indus River region, silk was obtained from domesticated silkworm in North Chine, and wool was originated in West Asia. The nature-based textile fibers have been important due to its widespread in nature and technical appropriateness for many centuries. However, textile science has searched for new fibers which can substitute the natural fibers due to difficulties in obtaining natural fibers such as cost, need for improvement, desire to obtain products with higher qualities, fashion, and inability to meet the demands. By the twentieth century, cellulose acetate fiber, which is the first synthetic fiber, was produced. The discovery of cellulose acetate fiber followed the discovery of nylon 6.6, nylon 6, polyester, and polyacrylic fiber. However, natural fibers have been popular due to increasing demands at the present time. Furthermore, natural fibers have been used not only for clothing but also for technical applications such as composite materials, building materials, filtration, and insulation materials because of low price, sustainability, lightness, high strength properties, high insulation properties, and simple sourcing.

The term “sustainability” is defined as how natural systems function, remain diverse, and produce everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance. In other words, sustainability is to maintain productivity in agriculture and ecology despite obstacles. In textile science, natural fibers are known as the sustainable raw materials. For this purpose, in this chapter, plant-based natural fibers are investigated in all respects such as structure, production process, production areas, using areas, advantages, and limitations. First, the term sustainability is explained. After a brief summary of plant-based natural fibers, fiber properties of cotton, bamboo, flax, hemp, kenaf, sisal, jute, ramie, abaca, banana, pineapple, coconut, and okra are investigated. Furthermore, in sustainability, ecology is the most effective factor. The slightest damage in ecology affects the whole living population. This chapter focuses on sustainable agriculture and ecology.