Fiber, Shelter, Commercial Products

Fiber is botanically defined as long narrow tapering cells that are dead and hollow at maturity and with cell walls of mostly cellulose and lignin which are necessary for support.  The commercial definition of fiber includes any long narrow flexible material which can be of animal (e.g. hair, wool), mineral (e.g. asbestos), synthetic (e.g. nylon) or plant origin.  To read more about natural fibers, click on this Fabric website (optional). Nutritionally, fiber is any food material that is indigestible.  Plant fibers are composed of cellulose while animal fibers are made of protein.  Protein is destroyed by high heat, and thus animal fibers such as silk and wool cannot be washed in hot water.  Cellulose is not susceptible to heat and thus cotton sheets can be boiled in water without adverse effects to the structure of the fiber.  Plant fibers are mainly used for making a) textile b) paper and c) miscellaneous uses such as brooms, mats, and fillers.  

A) Textile: Textile fibers are obtained from the seeds (cotton); leaves (sisal,  pineapple); soft or bast fibers (hemp, jute, linen).  Fibers for making paper come from the delignified wood of trees such as pine and single cells of cotton.  The coconut husk provides fiber for mats, brushes while palm leaves can be used for plaiting and weaving mats and baskets.  Milkweed, kapok, and cattails provide filler fibers for beddings and quilts.  

Cotton-The King of Fiber.  Cotton comes the genus Gossypium which has 39 species (Family Malvaceae) of which four had been independently domesticated in different parts of the world.  Gossypium herbaceum (South Africa) and G. arboreum (India) are diploid species with short fiber or staples. The two New World cotton species are tetraploid and have long staples.  Their progenitors are believed to be G. raimondii, a diploid species endemic to Peru and G. herbaceum, the diploid cotton from South Africa.  Gossypium hirsutum is an species presumed to have been domesticated in Mexico.  Archaelogical remains of G. hirsutum in Mexico has been found to date as far back as 3400 B.C.  Commonly known as cotton belt, upland cotton, or West Indian cotton, G. hirsutum now accounts for 95 percent of the world's cotton crop.  It was also resistant to boll-weevil attack than the other cotton species.  Gossypium barbadense is the other American cotton, whose common names include Sea Island, Egyptian, or pima cotton, is believed to have been domesticated in the Andes.  Until the invention of the cotton gin in in 1792, the lint was separated from the cotton seeds by hand.  With the cotton gin and African slave labor, the cotton plantation economy of the United States prospered.  The cotton gin was one of the key element that led to the Industrial Revolution.  Today, cotton is a major agricultural commodity in the United States.  It is also cultivated in China, Uzbekistan, India,and Pakistan.  Read Columbia University FactMonster Website # (required) The Cotton Plant (read only the sections on The Cotton Plant; Uses of Cotton; History)                      

Linen--Linen comes from flax (Linum usitatisimum).  Long believed to be the oldest textile fiber in human history, recent archeological evidence found cotton to have been used at around the same time.  Ancient Swiss lake dwellings have revealed remains of a flax species that dated back to 10,000 years ago. Linen was used by ancient Egyptians to wrap mummies and carvings on Egyptian tombs described the cultivation of flax along with wheat, figs, and olives.  The earliest condoms were made of linen.  The Romans were credited with the spread of flax cultivation throughout Europe.  Today, flax is grown mainly in China, Russia, and Western Europe.  In addition to fibers, linseed oil can be obtained from flax.  Cultivars of either fiber-producing or linseed oil plant are available for cultivation today. Read # Columbia University Fact Monster Website on Linen (required).

B) Paper.  The Egyptians wrote on sheets of papyrus which was made from strips of sedge (Cyperus papyrus, Cyperaceae) leaves pressed together.  In the Orient, rice paper was made by pounding sheets cut from the pith of Fatsia papyrifera (Araliaceae).  The Mayans of Mexico and the Polynesians independently discovered that the bark of the paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, Moraceae) could be pounded into sheets of paper.  The Polynesians also used these for clothing.  However, these are not true paper.  True paper is made from plant fibers which have been separated and then matted together to form thin sheets.  The Chinese discovered this method of making paper in 100 A.D.  Read #  Kew Royal Botanic Gardens website on What is paper? (required).  

Newsprint, catalogs, and paper towels are the cheapest type of paper to make via mechanical grinding.  Often times brown in color, this type of paper is unbleached.  To make white paper, sulfite or sulfate is used to dissolve lignin in the wood pulp and leave cellulose for the white paper. However, the spent chemicals and lignin create major pollution problems even though the use of enzymes in the paper industry may solve some of the problems. The different types of paper include writing papers, newsprint, tissue and industrial paper. Paperboard and packaging papers include paper bags, paperboard, and container or corrugated containers.

C) Minor textile fibers.  One of the minor textile fibers that is currently used in the world today is ramie (Boehmeria nivea).   A native of native of China, ramie plants grow to a height of 6 ft.  Processed like flax, ramie fibers are used with other fibers for sweaters and knitwear. An advantage to ramie is that it is relatively inexpensive to produce.  Read this Ohio State University Extension Factsheet Website about # (required) Ramie.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is another minor fiber source and the variety for fiber is different varieties from the drug plant. Also a native of China, hemp is processed like flax and comes in a variety of forms and textures.  Hemp is used for denim and jeans, canvas, rope and paper.  Levi jeans used to be made of hemp, now but they are made of cotton. 

Jute (Corchorus spp.) is a native of India and Bangladesh.  Like hemp, jute is processed like flax and is used for making burlap, carpet backing, and rope. 

Sisal comes from (Agave sisalana) and henequen (A. fourcroydes).  Native to the deserts of Mexico and Central America, the fibers from the leaves are used to make rope and mats.  A plant that is an excellent source of fiber for paper making is kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus).  Kapok (Ceiba pentandra), seed fiber of South American tree; fibers are hollow and waterproof, used for life preservers, parkas. 

After completing Unit III Section C, please click on Unit III Assignment.  Complete the assignments given and then return to the course syllabus and begin reading Unit IV. 

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