| Abstrakt: |
This article briefly explores possible utilization of cotton in volume in the traditional textile sector and in the growing nontraditional nonwovens sector and covers the challenges and opportunities that may exist on the way. Some new concepts in the development of predominantly cotton-based textile products are explored for research investigations. Mainly because of the fiber entanglements and orientation, a nonwoven fabric structure inherently lacks the desired strength, stability in subsequent processing and usage, durability, uniformity, and drape in the enduses where cotton is enormously popular historically. Furthermore, for certain cotton nonwoven products for certain medical and hygienic end-uses, the U.S. (machine-picked and ginned) cotton must be thoroughly cleared of its significant amount of foreign matter and then bleached in the fiber state only, because a needle-punched NW cotton structure generally is too weak and unstable to be bleached and wet-finished in the fabric form. This makes cotton very uncompetitive with other available fibers that can be efficiently used for producing similar products. Thus, to resolve some of the problems facing the utilization of cotton in nonwovens, some new concepts to develop certain viable cotton NW structures for certain applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
