Bamboo fibre

In February 2006, Japan s Mitsubishi Motors announced that it is to use the biopolymer, polybutylene succinate (PBS), in the interior of its new mini-car launched next year. In conjunction with Aichi Industrial Technology Institute, it has developed a material that uses PBS combined with bamboo fibre. PBS is composed of succinic acid, which is derived from fermented corn or cane sugar, and 1,4-butanediol. Bamboo grows quickly and is seen by Mitsubishi as a sustainable resource. In lifecycle tests, the PBS-bamboo fibre composite achieves a 50% cut in carbon dioxide emissions compared with polypropylene. Volatile organic compound levels are also drastically reduced, by roughly 85%, over processed wood hardboards. 

Since the early 2000s, plant-derived biobased fibrous fillers have been frequently used for the reinforcement of PLA-based materials. A well known and frequently used plant-derived fibrous filler is kenaf. Like the case of pollen as an additive, the wettability between PLLA and kenaf should be improved by the addition of a compatibilizer. Other fibrous materials are cellulose fibrous materials or fibres [383,384], cellulose whiskers [385], recycled cellulose fibre [386], cotton fibre [387], sugar beet pulp [388], flax [389], bamboo fibre [390], kenaf [391-393], papyrus [394], hemp fibre [395], cuphea and lesquerella [396], ramie [397], rice straw fibre [398], red algae fibre [399], miscanthus fibre [400], abaca fibre [401], milkweed [402], wood fibre [403] and recycled newspaper fibre [404], Poly(L-lactic acid) fibre can also be used to reinforce soft plastics such as PCL [405],... 

The 100% bamboo showed a reduction in bactmial growfii after 6 hours incubation, but no reduction in growth was seen after 24 hours. The 60% bamboo, 40% cottcm blend showed an increase in bacterial growfii. This suggests fiiat there may have been insufficient bamboo fibre in the blend to have any antibacterial effect and siqipoits previous claims that state that to be antimicrobial there must be greater than 65% bamboo content. Carbonised bamboo on polyester showed no antimicrobial activity. The soy fibre showed only minimal antimicrobial activity after 6 hours. 

DEVELOPMENT OF SURGICAL CLOTHING FROM BAMBOO FIBRES... 

The comparison of the physical characteristics of the yams made of 100% bamboo fibre and bamboo fibre / cotton blends are given in Table 1. 

Table 1 shows that the yam made from 100% bamboo fibre possesses higher tenacity and much higher elongation % when compared to the yams made from bamboo / cotton blends. But it is found to be highly uneven and having very high level of imperfections when compared to blended yams. 

Mechanical Characteristics of fabrics made of 100% bamboo fibres and bamboo fibre/cotton blends... 

From Table 2 it is evident that the fiibric made fix>m 100% bamboo filnes is more resistant to abrasion vdien compared to the ones made fiom bamboo fibre/cottam blends and the abrasion resistance decreases with the increase in cotton content. 

It could be seen in Table 2, that the fabric made fiom 100% bamboo fibres are more pnme to pilling wdien compared to the febrics made fiom bamboo fibre/cotton blends and as the percentage of cotton in the blend increases the pilling resistance also increases. 

From Table 2 it could be understood that the fabric made fiom 100% bamboo fibres has higher bursting strengfii when compared to bamboo fibre/cotton blended fabrics and the increase in cotton percentage in the blends reduces the bursting strength of the bric. 

The values of spray rating as given in Table 2, for the fabrics made fix>m 100% bamboo fibre as well as the bamboo fibre/cotton blends show that they possess good absorption characteristic, which is evident fi om their wetting behaviour. 

It could be seen fiom Table 2 that the fiibrics made from 100% bamboo fibres and also bamboo fibre/cotton blends possess good colour fiistness to washing and staining on cotton. 

The anti bacterial characteristics of the fiibrics made fiom 100% bamboo fibre and bamboo fibre/cotton blends as evaluated by parallel streak method and die qualitative and quantitative assessment of bacterial growth in die 100% bamboo fibre material (nevdy developed) and the in cotton material (regularly used 1 the hospital) vdiich were exposed to surgical conditions by blood agar plate method and the assessment by Turbidity method are given as below. 

Anti bacterial behaviour of the fabric samples made fiom 100% bamboo fibres and bamboo fibre / cotton blends inoculated with Stapl lococcus aureus after 24 liis. incubation at 37°C following parallel streak method is shown in the form of photographs in Figs. 1,2,3,4, S. 

Fig. 1 Bacterial growth in the fabric made from 100% bamboo fibre...

Fig. 2 Bacterial growth in fabric made from 80 20 bamboo fibre cotton blend... 

From Figures 1, 3,4 5 it could be seen that the 100% bamboo fibre fabric is able to inhibit the bacterial growth to a greater extent riien compared to the bamboo fibre/cotton blended febrics and it could be seen from Fig.S that the 50 50 bamboo fibre cotton blend inhibiting bacterial growth to the lowest extent... 

The bacterial growth in the blood agar plates for 100% bamboo fibre material (newly developed) as well as 100% cotton material (regularly used by the hospital) is depicted in the form of photographs in Figs. 6 7. 

Fig. 6 Bacterial growth in surgical wears made from 100% bamboo fibre and 100% cotton...

From Fig.6 it could be seen that the blood plate with bamboo fibre material exhibits less bacterial colonies when compared to the blood agar plate with cotton material. It is to be noted that both the materials were esqxised to toe same surgical conditions. 

From Fig. 7 the number of bacterial colonies developed after 24 hrs incubation in blood agar medium could be easily counted as they are visible clearly. On counting, it was found out that bamboo fibre material contained 32 X lOP colony forming units of bacteria, > ereas in case of cotton material it was 127 X ICP colony forming units of bacteria. 

From the results of the blood agar plate method, it is very clear that the material made of bamboo fibres is able to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria effectively. 

The photogrq)h showing the test tubes containing nutrient broth in which the samples of 100% bamboo fibre material and 100% cotton material (which were exposed to actual surgical conditions) were immersed and inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus and incubated for 24 hrs at 37° C, is shown in Fig.8. 

Fig. 8 Nutrient broths with 100% bamboo fibre material and 100% cotton material...

The single jersey fabric made from 100% bamboo fibre possess good wettability and washing fastness characteristics which are at par with the fabrics made of bamboo fabric / cotton blends. 

The knitted fabric made from 100% bamboo fibre exhibits good anti bacterial characteristics. It is found to be effective in inhibiting bacterial growth, when compared to... 

This research work has confirmed the antibacterial characteristic of bamboo fibre... 

The author thanks the management of M/s. Kannapiran MUls Ltd., Coimbatore and their R D officer Mf.P.Madava Murthi for producing the yam samples from bamboo fibre and cotton blends and providing the same for the research work. 

Q Shen, D Liu, Y Gao, Y Chen, Sur ce properties of bamboo fibre and comparison wi cotton linter fibres . Colloids and Surfaces B, 2004. 

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