Author: FranFung

Linen is a natural fibre derived from the flax plant. It is one of the oldest textiles of the world. The linen fabric has a coarse structure. In its pure form it can feel stiff but, blended with cotton, the fabric has a softer texture.

Uses

• Fabric e.g. for shirts, dresses

Potential Uses

• As a matrix for a natural composite

Processes

• Linen yarn is spun from the long fibres found just behind the bark in the multi-layer stem of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). In order to retrieve the fibres from the plant, the woody stem and the inner pith, which holds the fibers together in a clump, must be rotted away. The cellulose fibre from the stem is spinnable and is used in the production of linen thread and cordage. From linen thread, fabric is woven.

Reference

• https://tootal.nl/en/fabric-factsheet-en/cotton-linen-fabrics/
• https://www.fabric.com/shop/white-cotton-linen
• http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Linen.html#ixzz4n4z3YJem
• https://www.decktowel.com/pages/how-linen-is-made-from-flax-to-fabric
• http://www.cottonsjourney.com/storyofcotton/page5.asp

Bamboo fibres can be used to create a textile fabric with multiple uses from ordinary clothing to a dish cloth. This soft fabric is claimed to have a number of excellent features such as naturally antibacterial, UV protective, anti-static with good ventilation and limited odor retention. Providing a texture between cashmere and silk, it is called the “breathing” fabric.

Uses

• Clothing
• Bathrobes and towels
• Bed clothes
• Underwear
• Wall paper
• Curtains
• Bandages
•  Masks
• Surgical clothes/operating gowns
• Grease removing dish cloth (without the need for detergent)

Potential Uses

None as yet identified. Your contributions welcome!

Processes

• Bamboo fibres are all cellulose fibre extracted or fabricated from natural bamboo, but they vary widely.
• Textiles labelled as being made from bamboo are usually not made by mechanical crushing and retting. They are generally synthetic rayon made from cellulose extracted from bamboo.
• Most of the bamboo used to make bamboo-derived rayon and its clothing is grown in China by Hebei Jigao Chemical Fiber Company, which holds several patents on processes for turning bamboo into fibre.

More Information

•  http://textilelearner.blogspot.hk/2014/06/application-of-bamboo-fabric.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_textile
• http://www.bamboogrove.com/uses-bamboo-fabric.html
• https://www.am730.com.hk/column/Lifestyle/%E6%B8%85%E6%BD%94%E5%8F%88%E7%92%B0%E4%BF%9D-%E7%AB%B9%E7%BA%96%E7%B6%AD%E6%B4%97%E7%A2%97%E5%B8%83-13848

Animal bones have numerous uses including as a component of porcelain, glue, gelatin and black pigment.

 Uses

• Buttons
• Tool-handles
• Construction material
• Technical gelatin
• Liquid glue
• Black pigment (from bone char)

Potential Uses

• Bone Plastic

A team at Clemson University have been working on designing a plastic  made from meat and bone meal. These were mixed with ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), a tough material used in skis. The resulting composite is nearly as durable as UHMWPE.

Processes

• Degreasing—For all purposes the degreasing of the bones is the first process to be carried out.
• Benzine Process—Practically the whole of the fat contained in bones can be recovered without any loss of gelatinous material by the benzine extraction process. The fat is extracted by digesting the bones with petroleum ether (benzine) or Scotch shale oil (boiling point 212°-270°F.).

More Information

• Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-3-Baltimore-Braila:
  http://gluedideas.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-3-Baltimore-Braila/Industrial-Uses-of-Bone.html
• http://gluedideas.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-3-Baltimore-Braila/Industrial-Uses-of-Bone.html
• https://www.sonac.biz/ingredients/bone-products/
• [feature photo] – http://www.boneroom.com/uploads/4/8/1/1/48118243/s521972503441136676_p477_i2_w2000.jpeg

Photo retrieved from Rain Forest Alliance: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/species/cork-oak

The cork oak grows only in seven Mediterranean countries – Portugal, Italy, Spain, France, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Over 300,000 tons are harvested (stripped) per year. As an impermeable buoyant material, it is desireable for its compressibility, insulation and fireproof properties, as well as its resistance to abrasion.

Uses

• bottle stopper (e.g. wine cork)
• building material e.g cork bricks
• flooring
• furniture
• umbrella

Potential Uses

No new uses identified yet by authors. Your contributions welcome!

Processes

• Harvesting: A cork oak tree can be harvested twelve times in its lifetime with the first harvest taking place after approximately 25 years. Cork harvesting is done by hand without the aid of machinery.

More Information

•  Cork Forest Conservation Alliance
• http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cork_oak/
• http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/species/cork-oak
• https://www.apcor.pt/en/montado/cork-oak/
• http://design-milk.com/cork-umbrella-by-sandra-correia/

Henna, a versatile plant in terms of its applications, is typically and widely used in India since antiquity, to dye skin, hair, fingernails and fabrics such as silk, wool and leather.

Uses

• Natural dye/ temporary body art: also named as mehndi.

 

Processes

• From coarse crushed leaves, powder is generated after drying, milling and sifting the plant’s leaves.
• By mixing with liquids such as lemon juice, strong tea and sometimes, sugar or molasses, henna paste is formed and ready for dying.

More Information

• http://www.hennapage.com/
• http://www.theayurveda.org/ayurveda/herbal-medicine/10-benefits-of-evergreen-plant-henna/