Textile fibers fiber consumption

Textile Applications. A 1971 estimate of world textile fiber consumption (2) showed that approximately 60% of textile goods are dyed and about 30% are whites. The proportion of white goods (>40%) is highest for cotton. These percentages also hold tme in the 1990s. 

Wool belongs to a family of proteins, the keratins, that also includes hair and other types of animal protective tissues such as horn, nails, feathers, and the outer skin layers. The relative importance of wool as a textile fiber has declined over the decades as synthetic fibers have increa singly been used in textile consumption. Wool is still an important fiber in the middle and upper price ranges of the textile market. It is also an extremely important export for several nations, notably AustraUa, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina and commands a price premium over most other fibers because of its outstanding natural properties of soft handle (the feel of the fabric), moisture absorption abiUties (and hence comfort), and superior drape (the way the fabric hangs) (see Fibers Textiles). Table 2 shows wool production and sheep numbers in the world s principal wool-producing countries. 

From 1980 to 1988, aimual cellulose acetate flake production in the United States showed a slight decrease in production from 392,000 t to 323,000 t with an aimual decline of —0.4 to —0.1% (Table 6). World demand for cellulose acetate flake has also fallen. A modest recovery has occurred in recent years as a result of the increased demand for cigarette-filter tow world consumption of cigarette-filter tow has risen about 2.5% per year since 1980 (Tables 7 and 8). In contrast, world demand for textile fibers and cellulose ester plastics decline 4.6% and 4.2% per year, respectively (Fig. 9). 

The cellulose esters with the largest commercial consumption are cellulose acetate, including cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, and cellulose acetate propionate. Cellulose acetate is used in textile fibers, plastics, film, sheeting, and lacquers. The cellulose acetate used for photographic film base is almost exclusively triacetate some triacetate is also used for textile fibers because of its crystalline and heat-setting characteristics. The critical properties of cellulose acetate as related to appHcation are given in Table 10. 

A rather impressive Hst of materials and products are made from renewable resources. For example, per capita consumption of wood is twice that of all metals combined. The ceUulosic fibers, rayon and cellulose acetate, are among the oldest and stiU relatively popular textile fibers and plastics. Soy and other oilseeds, including the cereals, are refined into important commodities such as starch, protein, oil, and their derivatives. The naval stores, turpentine, pine oil, and resin, are stiU important although their sources are changing from the traditional gum and pine stumps to tall oil recovered from pulping. 

Consumption. Anthraquinone dyes are the most important dye class after azo dyes. Wodd textile production is estimated in Table 14. Estimates of the consumption of dyes for textiles ate given in Figure 14, together with the figures for fiber consumption. This shows that the consumption of each dye class or classes is approximately parallel to the consumption of fibers to which they ate apphed. 

The production of textiles represents one of the big consumers of high water quality. As a result of various processes, considerable amounts of polluted water are released. Representative magnitudes for water consumption are 100-200 L of water per kilogram of textile product. Considering an annual production of 40 million tons of textile fibers, the release of wasted water can be estimated to exceed 4-8 billion cubic meters per year. 

The activities described in this section intend to minimize or avoid the release of chemicals into the stream wastewater by substitution, optimization, reuse, and recycling. Besides a lowering of the costs for following up general wastewater treatment, benefits due to minimization of chemical consumption are intended. As there are various specific problems arising from the particular treatment steps applied for different fibers, this section concentrates on the most important problems. Table 2 gives an overview of the annual production of textile fibers [10]. 

In order to decrease human consumption of petroleum, chemists have investigated methods for producing polymers from renewable resources such as biomass. Nature Works polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer of naturally occurring lactic acid (LA), and LA can be produced from the fermentation of corn. The goal is to eventually manufacture this polymer from waste biomass. Another advantage of PLA is that, unlike most synthetic polymers which litter the landscape and pack landfills, it is biodegradable. PLA can also be easily recycled by conversion back into LA. It can replace many petroleum-based polymers in products such as carpets, bags, cups, and textile fibers. 

Cotton (Figure 1.1) is the most important natural textile fiber, as well as cellulosic textile fiber, in the world, used to produce apparel, home furnishings, and industrial products. Worldwide about 40% of the fiber consumed in 2004 was cotton [1]. (See also Table 9.1 World Production of Textile Fibers on page 130.) Cotton is grown mostly for fiber but it is also a food crop (cottonseed)—the major end uses for cottonseeds are vegetable oil for human consumption whole seed, meal, and hulls for animal feed and linters for batting and chemical cellulose. 

In summary, cotton s future is positive. Cotton use should benefit from consumer demand stemming from favorable economic growth prospects and because of research. On the production side, global output should continue to provide an adequate supply for mill demand. Finally, cotton, one of the most important textile fibers and one of the world s important oilseed crops, should continue to be recognized as a significant commodity in world trade and the consumption of this important fiber, food, and feed crop will continue to grow but at a slower rate than synthetic fibers. 

Cellulose, which is found in plant walls, is the most abundant raw material on Earth. Millions of pounds of this biorenewable polymer are produced every year. The total worldwide consumption of cellulosic fibers in 1998 was 4817 million pounds [1]. Cellulose is plentiful, inexpensive, and biodegradable. It is capable of producing a number of fibrous products with excellent properties whose utility extends into numerous end uses and industries. Cellulose is an excellent source of textile fibers, for both the commodity and the high-end, fashion-oriented markets. A common example is rayon. In addition, cellulose provides fibers for industrial end uses requiring strong, tough fibers. A common example is fibers used in tire cord. 

Actual staple fiber consumption figures for 2001 were estimated (118) to be 1.6 million tonnes because of a sharp decline in Eastern Europe masking slight growth elsewhere (Table 3). Asian countires now account for 75% of the consumption of viscose staple in textiles, with Western Europe leading the consumption in nonwovens. 

Fibers are the basic element of nonwovens world consumption of fibers in nonwoven production is 63% polypropylene, 23% polyester, 8% viscose rayon, 2% acrylic, 1.5% polyamide and 3% other high performance fibers [8]. The data in Fig. 10.4 shows the market share of important polymers and fibers in the nonwovens market. Manufacturers of nonwoven products can make use of almost any kind of fibers. These include traditional textile fibers, as well as recently developed hi-tech fibers. Future advancements will be in bicomponent fibers, micro-fibers (split bicomponent fibers or meltblown nonwovens), nano-fibers, biodegradable fibers, super-absorbent fibers and high performance fibers. The selection of raw fibers, to a considerable degree, determines the properties of the final nonwoven products. The selection of fibers also depends on customer requirement, cost, processability, changes of properties because of web formation and consolidation. The fibers can be in the form of filament, staple fiber or even yam. 

Wood fibers are converted into pulps that are useful both in the manufacture of paper and in preparation of regenerated textile fibers. In the United States, the annual per capita consumption of p>aper and paper products is several times greater than that of other non-food polymers. Modifications of the properties of paper through chemical reactions are possibilities that need further investigation. 

Substances of organic origin, such as wood flour, used for consumption products and in the production of electrical insulation cellulosic fibers (textiles, paper fibers and particles) used mainly to increase impact resistance fruit shell flour, which increases the fluidity of plastic materials under pressing and enhances the dielectric properties and appearance of final products protein flour—casein and soya flours for example—used with carbamides. 

Cotton is the most common cultivated fiber. The world s textile fiber consumption in 1998 was approximately 45 million tons. Of this total, cotton represented approximately 20 milhon tons. The earliest evidenee of cotton use is from India in 3,000 B.C. Cotton cultivation spread from India to Egypt, China and the South Pacific. Cotton is made from cellulose (a polysaccharide) Figure 5.11 shows a cotton flower and the chemical stmcture of cotton, including H-bonding. 

Textile fiber materials can be divided into natural and chemical fibers. As a result of the industrial revolution and growth of the world population, the consumption of fibers worldwide has continuously increased (Fig. 2.1). The consumption of textile goods per person has risen as well. Citizens of industrial countries consume about 20 to 25 kg of textile materials per year. Since 1950, a major increase in the share of chemical fibers can be observed. In 1994, for the first time in history, the world share of man-made fibers exceeded that for natural fibers and is still growing. The steady increase in the world population will provoke an increase in production of natural and chemical fibers. While predictions differ quantitatively. Fig. 2.2 gives a good estimate. 

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