Fiber crop

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"Plant fiber" redirects here. For other uses, see Fiber (disambiguation).
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Fiber crops are field crops grown for their fibers, which are traditionally used to make paper, cloth, or rope.[1]

Philippine natural fibers

Fiber crops are characterized by having a large concentration of

composite materials
. Due to cellulose being the main factor of a plant fiber's strength, this is what scientists are looking to manipulate to create different types of fibers.

Fiber crops are generally harvestable after a single growing season, as distinct from

wood pulp fiber or lacebark. In specific circumstances, fiber crops can be superior to wood pulp fiber in terms of technical performance, environmental impact or cost.[2]

There are a number of issues regarding the use of fiber crops to make pulp.[3] One of these is seasonal availability. While trees can be harvested continuously, many field crops are harvested once during the year and must be stored such that the crop doesn't rot over a period of many months. Considering that many pulp mills require several thousand tonnes of fiber source per day, storage of the fiber source can be a major issue.

Botanically, the fibers harvested from many of these plants are

bast fibers; the fibers come from the phloem tissue of the plant. The other fiber crop fibers are hard/leaf fibers (from the entirety of plant vascular bundles) and surface fibers (from plant epidermal tissue).[1]

Fiber sources

To have a source of fiber to utilize in production, the fiber first must be extracted from the plant. This is done in different ways depending on the fiber classification. Bast fibers are harvested through

ginning which is where a machine removes the fibers from other plant material.[citation needed
]

Paper

See also:
Wood pulp and Deinking

Before the industrialisation of paper production the most common fiber source was recycled fibers from used textiles, called rags. The rags were from

ragpickers.[4]

Fiber crops

  • Bast fibers
    (stem)
    • Bamboo, when derived from a mechanical process.[5]
    • Dogbane, used by Native Americans
    • Esparto, a fiber from a grass
    • Flax, from which linen is derived
    • Hemp, a soft, strong fiber, edible seeds
    • Hoopvine, also used for barrel hoops and baskets, edible leaves, medicine
    • Jute, widely used, it is the cheapest fiber after cotton
    • Kenaf, the interior of the plant stem is used for its fiber. Edible leaves.
    • Lotus, used to produce lotus silk
    • Nettles used to make thread and twine, clothing made from it is both durable yet soft
    • Ramie, a member of the nettle family.
    • Spanish broom, a legume, its fiber has similar characteristics to linen.[6]
    • Tilia, known as Linden or Lime in Europe and Basswood in North America. Fiber comes from inner bark.[7]
  • Pith (stem)

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-07-352422-1
    .
  2. ^ "Agripulp: pulping agricultural crops". Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
  3. ^ "Nonwood Alternatives to Wood Fiber in Paper". Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
  4. ^
    ISBN 952-5216-07-1
  5. S2CID 245297960
    .
  6. doi:10.1177/0040517512447526
    . Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  7. ^ Strother, John L. "Tilia". Flora of North America. Missouri Botanical Garden & Harvard University. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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