Biodegradable and sustainable textile fibres

Abstract

Some of the most significant discoveries in the field of textile fibres date back to the second half of the 20th century. It was time when man-made fibres from different synthetic polymers are produced, fibres with targeted properties, high-performance fibres and even smart / intelligent fibres. However, when entering 21st century this was not enough. In addition to functionality, different types of environmental requirements, such as requirements for sustainable production, requirements for biodegradability, recovery and use of renewable raw materials, are placed on the textile fibres. For this reason, researchers are focused on finding new fibre forming plants and / or animals that can present readily renewable raw materials for sustainable fibre production, as well as on biodegradability of fibres. In that case new fibres will not be environmental burden even, due to lack of environmental awareness. This paper presents an overview of some commercially important biodegradable fibres and some of potentially, new fibres in 21st century.