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COTTON

WHAT IS COTTON????
Cotton is a natural fiber harvested from the cotton plant. Cotton is one of the oldest fibers under human cultivation, with traces of cotton over 7,000 years old recovered from archaeological sites. Cotton is also one of the most used natural fibers in existence today, with consumers from all classes and nations wearing and using cotton in a variety of applications.

COMPOSITION OF COTTON
The chemical composition of cotton fiber consists of : 95% cellulose. 1.3 % protein. 1.2 % ash. 0.6 % wax. 0.3 % sugar. 0.8 % organic acids. and other chemical compounds that make up three point one percent (The non-cellulose chemicals of cotton are usually located in the cuticle of the fiber

The non-cellulose chemicals of cotton consist of protein, ash, wax, sugar and organic acids. Cotton wax is found on the outer surface of the fiber. The more wax found on cotton the greater the surface area of cotton there is; finer cotton generally has more cotton wax. Cotton wax is primarily long chains of fatty acids and alcohols. The cotton wax serves as a protective barrier for the cotton fiber. Sugar makes up 0.3 % of the cotton fiber, the sugar comes from two sources plant sugar and sugar from insects. The plant sugars occur from the growth process of the cotton plant. The plant sugars consist of monosaccharide, glucose and fructose. The insect sugars are mainly for whiteflies, the insect sugars can cause stickiness, which can lead to problems in the textile mills. Organic acids are found in the cotton fiber as metabolic residues. They are made up of malic acid and citric acid.

The non-cellulose chemicals of cotton are removed by

using selective solvents. Some of these solvents include: hexane, chloroform, sodium hydroxide solutions, nonpolar solvents, hot ethanol, and plain water. After removing all the non cellulose chemicals, the cotton fiber is approximately ninety-nine percent cellulose.

HOW IS COTTON PROCESSED???


1. The cotton is harvested from the fields. The cotton seeds and fibers are put into a machine called a cotton gin. The cotton gin separates out the cotton fibers from the seedpods and seeds.

2. The fiber then goes to a cotton mill to be turned into cloth. The by-products are also used. The cotton seeds and pods are turned into feed for cattle or made into cottonseed oil. Left over lint is also used in paper. 3. At the cotton mill the raw cotton fiber is a light brownish color. To make it white, is is usually bleached using hydrogen peroxide. This powerful bleach then needs to be removed from the cotton fibers. This is to prevent it from reacting with any dyes that are used after to color the cotton.

The bleach is usually rinsed out of the cotton with water. As a rule of thumb, 40 liters of water per kg of fabric is used. This is a water intensive process. New methods bleach removal that are more economical with water have been developed. However, the industry is very large, and it may take some time before these methods are used in the mainstream.

The cotton fiber is spun and woven into fabric. Cotton can be turned into many types of fabric using preshrinking, printing, dying weaving and mixing techniques.

PROPERTIES OF COTTON
It is soft It breathes It absorbs body moisture It is comfortable It is strong and durable It is versatile It performs well It has good colour retention It is easy to print on It wrinkles easily It is easy to care for, easy to wash It is a natural resource that is fully renewable

THE USES OF COTTON


The major end uses for cotton fiber include apparel, home furnishings,
and other industrial uses such as medical supplies.

Eventually, about 57% of it is converted into apparel, more than a third into home furnishings and the remainder into industrial products.
Cotton is used for virtually every type of clothing, from coats and jackets to foundation garments. Most of its apparel usage, however, is for men and boys clothing. Cotton supplies over 70% of this market, with jeans, shirts and underwear being major items. In home furnishings, cottons uses range from bedspreads to window shades. It is by far the dominant fiber in towels and washcloths, supplying almost 100% of that market. Cotton is popular in sheets and pillowcases, where it holds over 60% of the market.

Industrial products containing cotton are as diverse as wall coverings, bookbindings and zipper tapes. The biggest cotton users in this category, however, are medical supplies, industrial thread and tarpaulins.

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