NON-TRADITIONALLY RETTED FLAX FOR DRY COTTON-BLEND SPINNING

Authors: Kimmel, Linda; Goynes, Wilton; Boylston, Eileen; Akin, Danny; HENRIKSSON, GUNNAR - RIT, PMT,STOCKHOLM,SWEDEN; ERIKSSON, KARL-ERIK - DMB,UNIV.,GA, ATHENS,GA

Submitted to: American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Abstracts
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2000
Publication Date: 5/15/2001
Citation: Kimmel, L.B., Goynes Jr, W.R., Boylston, E.K., Akin, D.E., Henriksson, G., Eriksson, K.L. Non-traditionally retted flax for dry cotton-blend spinning. American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Abstracts. v. 71. p. 375-380.

Interpretive Summary: Flax is one of the strongest of the natural vegetable fibers, and has been used to produce high quality linen for thousands of years. The traditional methods of extracting the fibers from the source plants are inconsistent, inefficient, and contaminate the environment. Therefore, the renewed popularity of flax has prompted efforts to devise more efficient, more economical, and more environmentally friendly methods of processing the fiber. A large market already exists for a potentially profitable agricultural crop, given viable alternative production methods. Flax tends to be stronger, more absorbent, and finer than cotton on average. However, flax is also more expensive, less resilient, and more prone to wrinkling than cotton, providing the rationale for blending the fibers to make attractive and functional yarns and fabrics. The naturally long and strong fibers are typically processed on special machines that are not available in the United States. This study reports on a combination of mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, and traditional methods of extracting and separating the fibers from the woody portions of the plants, and to spin these fibers in blends with cotton. Typical domestic cotton processing methods are successfully used on a pilot scale to produce a series of attractive medium-count, experimental yarns with encouraging properties. With refinement, it is hoped that chemical or enzyme retting could become an ecologically sound and cost effective method of producing flax fiber for textile blends with cotton. This should provide consumers with an excellent flax/cotton blend without any great increase in cost compared to all cotton textiles.

Technical Abstract: Domestic processing of the luxurious fiber that comprises linen is prohibited by the difficulty, cost, and environmental impact of traditional retting methods. Extracting flax fiber from the stems of the source plants has historically been a laborious process, which is largely restricted to Europe and Asia. The naturally long and strong bast fibers are typically processed on wet-spinning machines that are not available in the United States. The sizable domestic market is presently supplied entirely by imported fiber [24]. The renewed popularity of flax has prompted efforts to devise more efficient, more economical, and more environmentally friendly methods of producing and processing the fiber [18, 19, 23]. This study reports on a combination of mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, and traditional (dew) retting methods to extract and separate the fibers from the woody portions of the plants, and to spin these fibers in blends with cotton. A variety of methods is employed using simple chemicals and commercially available enzyme mixtures. Typical cotton processing methods are successfully used on a larboratory scale to produce a series of attractive medium-count, experimental yarns with suitable physical and aesthetic properties. With refinement, it is hoped that chemical or enzyme retting could become an ecologically sound and cost effective method of producing flax fiber for textile blends with cotton.