Vegetable Fiber is one of the main sources of Natural Fiber. We will discuss what is vegetable fiber and The Types of Vegetable Fiber in this article.
What is Vegetable Fiber?
Vegetable Fiber:
Fibers that are derived from different parts of plants are called vegetable fiber. This Fiber is also known as Plant Fiber.
The principal chemical component of Plant Fibers is cellulose, with varying amounts of lignin and hemicelluloses also usually present; thus the fibers are also referred to as cellulosic or lignocellulosic.
The fibers are grown throughout the world but mostly in tropical and subtropical climates in developing countries. The principal bast fibers are flax, jute, and hemp, which are utilized primarily for fabrics.
Plant Fibers are generally graded according to color, luster, cleanliness, strength, fineness, and uniformity.
What are the types of Vegetable Fiber?
Types of Plant Fiber:
Plant Fiber is divided into three types according to the parts from where they are derived from. They are:
- Seed Fiber
- Bast Fiber
- Leaf Fiber
What is Bast Fiber?
Bast fibers are obtained from the plant, after harvest, by water retting (rotting) in ponds or streams
The principal bast fibers are flax, jute, and hemp, which are utilized primarily for fabrics (linen‐flax, hessian‐jute), bags, ropes, in newer bio-based composites, and as a source of papermaking fibers, principally cigarette papers.
What is Leaf Fiber?
Leaf Fiber:
The leaf fibers are obtained by crushing and scraping followed by washing.
The primary leaf fibers are abaca and sisal, which have used similar to bast fibers, except fabrics are not produced from the leaf fibers.
Read List of Leaf Fiber.
What is Seed Fiber?
Seed Fiber:
Seed Fibers are collected from the seed hair of the plants.
Cotton, coir, and kapok are the principal seed‐hair fibers, with cotton by far the most important commercial vegetable fiber.
Read List of Seed Fiber.
Conclusion:
Plant fiber has been using in Textile for thousands of years. It can be derived from the leaf or seed. It is one of the main sources of natural fiber.
Plant Fibers are generally based on the arrangement of cellulose and lignin. Such as Cotton Fiber, Hemp Fiber, Jute Fiber; Flax Fiber, Abaca Fiber, Pina Fiber, Ramie Fiber, Sisal Fiber, Bagasse Fiber, Banana Fiber, etc.
Vegetable or plant fiber has great importance in both the Textile and Paper industries.
