Characterization of adhesive bonded nonwovens made from blends of agro-waste, cotton, and viscose fibers

Abstract

Nonwoven fabrics find wide array of applications in technical textile sector. Most of these nonwovens are made with synthetic fibers that do not biodegrade thereby leading to environmental pollution. On the other side some agricultural waste contains potential ligno-cellulosic fibers that could be effectively used in making nonwovens. This study aims at developing nonwovens by utilizing agro-waste fibers such as wild turmeric (Curcuma aromatica) petiole fiber (WTPF) and banana (Musa paradisiaca) core stem fiber (BCSF) blended with natural cellulosic fiber (cotton) and regenerated cellulosic fiber (viscose). Natural fiber nonwovens are heavy and bulky compared to the synthetic counter parts. Hence the selected fibers are blended in seven different ratios and converted into a web by carding followed by needle punching. It is then adhesive bonded by coating with sericin gel, a bio-polymer known for its antibacterial properties, followed by hot calendaring. The developed nonwoven fabrics were analysed for their physical, mechanical, structural, and morphological properties. The areal density (GSM) of the lightest among the developed nonwovens is 95while the heaviest one is 160. The samples highly varied in thickness ranging from 0.71 to 0.83 mm and fiber packing density from 8.42 to 15.92%. The tear strength along machine and cross directions varied from 864 to 112 and 736 to 80 gf respectively. The porosity and air permeability ranged from 84.08 to91.58% and 23.12 to 95.62 cm3/cm2/s. Based on the properties, the developed nonwoven fabrics could be utilized in various technical textile applications, including hygiene textiles, agro-textiles, geo textiles, and so on.