Is Banana Fiber The Next Fashion?

The Haikou experimental station of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences has recently released the blended fabric of banana refined linen and banana fiber / ramie, which has aroused the concern of the society. Banana fiber has been published in China many years ago, and it caused the market turmoil at that time. However, due to immature technology and high price, the market was not fully accepted.

What is the product of the banana ramie fiber and ramie fiber / ramie blended fabric? The China textile daily reporter interviewed Sheng Zhanwu, the project leader. He said that the banana fiber refined hemp is a blend of banana fiber and hemp fiber, which has the characteristics of antisepsis, bacteriostasis, UV protection and static electricity. The banana crude fiber used in this product is extracted from banana stems by using linen machine. The degumming process is treated by biological enzyme, which is different from the general degumming process. The blend of ramie and ramie is a kind of natural plant fiber fabric. It can be used for home textiles, decoration, tourist souvenirs, etc. Sheng Zhanwu said that the reason for developing this product is mainly from the perspective of waste utilization.

　　 Pending development Resources

The Haikou experimental station of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences has taken the lead in the study of banana in China. In China, there are about about 10000000 tons of banana waste discarded each year, of which 1% to 2% of the extracted banana stems are available. Worldwide, bananas yield about 1.065 billion tons a year, and the amount of fiber available is considerable.

According to Sheng Zhanwu's statement, banana fiber is a resource to be exploited and utilized. Banana fiber can be divided into banana stem fiber and banana leaf fiber. Banana stem fiber is found in the phloem of banana tree and belongs to bast fiber. Banana leaf fiber is contained in leaves of banana tree and belongs to leaf fiber. The data show that there are about 130 bananas in the world, with the largest output in Central America, followed by Asia. Banana cultivation in China is mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Yunnan and Hainan, and there are also a few cultivation in Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing. Bananas are not only rich in resources, but also relatively concentrated in the region, which is conducive to the implementation of industrialization.

Data show that some foreign enterprises have developed banana viscose fiber. However, the utilization of banana fiber in China is still at the level of natural fiber. Sheng Zhanwu said that the banana fibers developed by them were not pulping, the same as ramie, and also natural fibers.

　　 Banana bast The main chemical components were cellulose, followed by hemicelluloses, lignin, pectic substances, water-soluble substances, and wax. The cellulose content in banana phloem is lower than that in flax and jute, but its content is about 60%. Compared with linen and jute, banana has a higher content of hemicellulose and lignin, and the two accounts for more than 30% of the chemical composition of banana fiber. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to manufacture, and it also causes the luster, softness, elasticity and spinnability of banana fiber, which are all worse than flax and jute. However, the results showed that the crystallinity and orientation of banana stem fiber were lower than that of flax and jute, indicating that the arrangement of macromolecules in banana fibers was not as regular as that in flax and jute. Therefore, compared to flax and jute, banana fiber has the characteristics of low strength, large deformation, low birefringence, easy to absorb moisture and moisture, and easy to dye.

　　 High-cost Impeding market promotion

In fact, the research on banana fiber in China is not only limited to degumming, but also its high fiber has entered the market. Mr. Liang, a saint bamboo household textile company, said they had developed a high banana fiber. However, the cost performance of banana fiber has no advantage. Mr. Liang said that the market price of banana fiber is 70 thousand yuan / ton to 80 thousand yuan / ton, and its application is basically the same as that of bamboo fiber. Compared with the antibacterial function of bamboo fiber, banana fiber has no outstanding selling points. And bamboo fiber has been accepted by the market, so they have abandoned the development and production of banana fiber.

The fabric made of banana fiber has also won the national fabric award. Mr Liang said that they were also very optimistic about the development prospects of this variety, and had sent a large number of samples to customers. However, after considering the customers comprehensively, they did not show positive willingness to purchase. They also gradually realized that the market's enthusiasm for banana fiber was not as strong as they expected.