Geotextiles made from natural fibres

The Bombay Textile Research Association, Mumbai, India 

Geotextiles are manufactured from both namral and synthetic fibres. However, the market is dominated by synthetic polymer-based geotextiles and related products these account for more than 90% of the market share (Elwood, 2004). The success of synthetics is mainly due to cost and customized properties. Unlike natural fibres harvested by farmers, synthetic fibres are generally mass produced from petrochemicals to achieve uniform strength, length and colour, and can easily be customized for specific applications. 

The use of natural fibre fabric is an alternative method for geo-engineering applications. The biodegradability of natural fibres has led to their use in short-term geotechnical applications to fulfil technical requirements to temporarily protect and enable the natural growth of local foliage in land and waterway reclamation, restoration or development. Natural fibres such as jute, coir, sisal, kenaf, ramie and other low-cost natural materials such as palm leaves, wood and split bamboo are also used in geotechnical applications such as erosion control, soil stabilization and soil reinforcement. 

In many parts of the world, besides being used for fuel in cooking and to keep warm, natural materials such as wood, bamboo, reeds and skins have been used in 

During the Second World War, bituminized fabric was used for rapid road construction in the frontier areas it was even used as an overlay on airstrips for fighter craft (Chatterjee et al., 1994). Bituminized Hessian was reportedly used as a portable aircraft runway in India during the Second World War (Jade et al., 1994). Since the 1930s, Indian Jute Industries has continued to produce relatively medium (500 g/m ) to heavy (800 g/m ) fabric which is widely used to solve the problem of landscaping erosion of slopes by stabilization followed by vegetation growth. 

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For some applications such as erosion control, natural fibre—based geotextiles are used. These products can be used when degradability is required or where environmental requirements are high. You can find more information about this type of product in the following chapter Geotextiles Made From Natural Fibers. ... 

Nonwoven geotextHes are permeable geosynthetics made of nonwoven materials used with soil, rock, or other geotechnical-related material as an integral part of a civil engineering project, structure, or system. They are frequently made from synthetic polymers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, and polyester, as well as natural fibres such as jute, sisal, and coir. The European standards (EN) for the specifications and performance requirements of geotextiles in 11 application areas (roads and other... 

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