Seed-hair fibers

Vegetable fibers are classified according to their source ia plants as follows (/) the bast or stem fibers, which form the fibrous bundles ia the inner bark (phloem or bast) of the plant stems, are often referred to as soft fibers for textile use (2) the leaf fibers, which mn lengthwise through the leaves of monocotyledonous plants, are also referred to as hard fibers and (J) the seed-hair fibers, the source of cotton (qv), are the most important vegetable fiber. There are over 250,000 species of higher plants however, only a very limited number of species have been exploited for commercial uses (less than 0.1%). The commercially important fibers are given ia Table 1 (1,2). 

Fiber Dimensions. Except for the seed-hair fibers, the vegetable fibers of bast or leaf origins are multiceUed (Fig. 1) and are used as strands ... 

Vegetable fibers are classified according to the part of the plant that they come from. The four groupings are seed-hair fibers, leaf fibers, bast fibers, and miscellaneous fibers. 

The first category of vegetable fiber is of seed-hair fibers, which includes cotton, kapok, flosses obtained from seeds, seedpods, and the inner walls of fruit. 

The bast and leaf fibers give mechanical support to the plant s stem and leaf, respectively. Bast consists of a wood core surrounded by stem, and within the stem, there are a numbers of fiber bundles, each containing individual fiber cells or filaments. The bast fibers such as, hemp, flax, jute, kenaf, and ramie are usually grown in warm climates. The leaf fibers, such as sisal, abaca, banana, and henequen, are coarser than bast fibers. The seed-hair fibers, such as cotton, coir, and milkweed, are attached to the plant s seeds [68]. 

Seed hair fibers cotton, kapok, and coir which are obtained from seeds and the... 

Leaf fibers Pineapple, Banana, Sisal, Pine, Abaca (Manila hemp), Curaua, Agaves, Cabuja, Henequen, Date-palm, African palm. Raffia, New Zealand flax, Isora Seed (hairs) fibers Cotton, Kapok, Coir, Baobab, Milkweed Stalk fibers Bamboo, Bagasse, Banana stalk, Cork stalk Fruit fibers Coconut, Oil palm Wood fibers Hardwood, Softwood... 

Coir Coconut husk Seed-hair fibers Cocos nuHfera Africa, Brazil Tropics, India, Mexico... 

Fibers are widely used in polymeric materials to improve mechanical properties. Vegetable fibers (e.g., cotton, flax, hemp, jute) can generally be classified as bast, leaf or seed-hair fibers. Cellulose is the major substance obtained from vegetable fibers, and applications for cellulose fiber-reinforced polymers have again come to the forefront with the focus on renewable raw materials [198 - 200]. Hydrophilic cellulose fibers are very compatible with most natural polymers. 

Seed [hairs] fibers Cotton, Kapok, Coir, Baobab, Milkweed... 

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