Abstract


Bamboo fibre is a natural textile made fromthe pulp of the bamboo grass.Fabric made with Bamboo fibre hasbeen growing in popularity, because it has many unique properties and is more sustainablethan most textile fibres. Bamboo fabric islight and strong, has excellent wicking properties, and is to some extentantibacterial. The use of bamboo fibre forclothing was a 20th century development, pioneered by severalChinese corporations. Thisreview article summarizes the production process and wet processing of Bamboofibre. The various advantageous properties and commercial products based onthese unique properties are discussed. Some attention has been paid to thecurrent fashion trends of Bamboo materials.


Keywords: Bamboo fibre, Bambooproducts, Fibre production, Green &biodegradable, Natural anti-bacteria


1. Introduction


Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in this planet and has theability to grow in many different climates, fromjungles to high on mountainsides. Bamboo isjust a grass, but varies in height from dwarf plant (30cm) to giant timber Bamboos(30m). Bamboo is used as the primary construction material and for making greatvariety of useful objects from kitchen tools to paper to dinnerware. Generally bamboos are commonly used for furniture,construction, musical instruments and many more things. Bamboo is notonly highly fashionable for decorative purposes but useful too. As it is aviable replacement for wood, in far Eastern countries, it is the primarybuilding material. Bamboo is in fact one of the strongest building materialsavailable and even provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after the atomicblast in 1945. The various advantage lies with bamboo has evolved it as asuitable textile grade material.


Bamboo fibre and starchy pulps are made from bamboo thatgrows widely through Asian countries. Starchy pulp is a refined product of Bamboostems and leaves through a process of hydrolysis-alkalization & multi-phasebleaching and then process in chemical fibre factories into Bamboo fibre. Fabricsmade of bamboo fibres have been growing in popularity,because it has many unique properties and is more sustainable than most textilefibres. Bamboo fabric is light & strong and has excellent wickingproperties. Bamboo fabric is verysoft and can be worn directly next to the skin. Many people who experienceallergic reactions to other natural fibres, such as wool or hemp, do not complain of this issue with Bamboo. The fibreis naturally smooth and round without chemical treatment, meaning that there are nosharp spurs to irritate theskin. Bamboo fabric is favoured bycompanies trying to use sustainable textiles, because the Bamboo plant is very quick growing and doesnot usually require the use of pesticides and herbicides to thrive. As a result, plantationscan easily be kept organic and replanted yearly to replenish stocks. Theprocess of making unbleached Bamboo fibre is very light on chemicals that couldpotentially harm the environment. Bamboois highly water absorbent & takes up three times its weight in water. In Bamboo fabric, this translates to an excellentwicking ability that will pull moisture away from the skin, so that it canevaporate. Bambooalso has many antibacterial qualities, which Bamboo fabric isapparently able to retain, even through multiple washings, which helps inreducing the bacteria that thrive on clothing. It can also kill odour causingbacteria that live on human skin, making the wearer and his/her clothing smell sweeter.In addition, Bamboo fabric has insulating properties and will keep the wearercooler in summer and warmer in winter. The versatility of Bamboo fabric makes it anexcellent choice for clothing designers exploring alternative textiles, and inaddition, the fabric is able to take bright dye colors well, drape smoothly,and star in a variety of roles from knit shirts to woven skirts.



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About the Authors


B. R. Das is associated with the Department of Textile Technology,Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India and S. Hati is with UtkalUniversity of Culture, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.