Manufacturing Process of Bamboo Fabric
Process
The
bamboo is grown on plantations and logged by hand. It is then finely
shredded and bamboo cellulose is extracted. Impurities are then removed
leaving only the finest quality fibers which are pulped into a
cardboard-like sheet. The pulp is then broken down before being made
into a spun or filament fiber.
Natural bamboo fiber textile is
extracted directly from bamboo culms, and completely different from
bamboo viscose, which is produced by chemical processing.
Bamboo
fiber is made of cellulose and is being produced by processing methods
such as steaming and boiling, etc. in industrial machinery designed
specifically for these processes.
The FTC classifies all man
made fibers that use cellulose from plants as rayon. Historically
viscose rayon has been manufactured using a process in which fairly
toxic chemicals chemically convert the cellulose into a soluble
compound which is in turn regenerated into almost pure cellulose; hence
the term 'regenerated cellulose fiber'. This process removes any
natural characteristics of the original cellulose.
In contrast
to this is a new method for converting plant cellulose into a usable
fiber. This was first done in 1992 by a company using wood fiber, and
is now identified as Lyocell and marketed in the US under the name
Tencel.
Bamboo fiber used in spinning yarn for textiles is
manufactured the same way as Lyocell (wood fiber), with the same
organic solvent N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (amine oxide). This solvent
is non-toxic and completely recycled during the manufacturing process.
So although bamboo is classified as rayon by the FTC because it is made
from cellulose it is actually a subset of rayon that uses a separate
process from viscose to convert the bamboo cellulose to a spinnable
form (bamboo rayon is NOT therefore the same as viscose rayon).
One
of the great advantages of this process is that there is no formation
of a derivative and therefore the natural characteristics of the
cellulose are retained in the final product.
For the moment,
China is the only country where natural bamboo fiber is manufactured on
a commercial scale. Using natural bamboo fiber or bamboo fiber mixed
with other materials such as organic cotton, spandex, and polyester,
various bamboo textile fabrics with different colors and styles are
produced and exported to many countries like Europe and the USA.
Conscious
companies choose to manufacture finished textiles vertically to reduce
multiple transportation costs and support growers and textile
manufacturers who work and live nearby this abundant natural resource. |
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