Jute

:The word Jute is also used in reference to the Germanic people, the Jutes.

Bundles of jute, showing the fibres of Corchorus olitorius (Tossa Jute Fibre) and Corchorus capsularis (White Jute Fibre)

Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, family Malvaceae.

Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibres, and is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses. Jute fibres are composed primarily of the plant materials, cellulose (major component of plant fibre) and lignin (major components wood fibre). It is thus a ligno-cellulosic fibre that is partially a textile fibre and partially wood. It falls into the bast fibre category (fibre collected from bast or skin of the plant) along with Kenaf, Industrial Hemp, Flax (Linen), Ramie, etc. The industrial term for Jute fibre is Raw Jute.

Jute plants (Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis)

Jute fibre is often called hessian, jute fabrics are also called hessian cloth, and jute sacks are called gunny bags in some European countries. The fabric made from jute is popularly known as burlap in North America.

After the procurement of jute fibre through the Retting Process, jute is graded (rated) according to its colour, strength, and fibre length. The fibres are off-white to brown, and 1-4 meters (3-12 feet) long. Jute is pressed into bales for shipment to manufacturers. From there, a typical processing sequence may include cutting, carding, drawing, spinning, reeling, plying, and twisting.

Cultivation

The suitable climate for growing jute (warm and wet climate) is offered by the monsoon climate during the monsoon season. Temperatures ranging 20 ºC to 40 ºC and relative humidity of 70%-80% are favourable for successful cultivation. Jute requries 5-8 cm of rainfall weekly with extra needed during the sowing period.

To grow jute, farmers scatter the seeds on cultivated soil. When the plants are about 15-20 cm tall, they are thinned out. About four months after planting, harvesting begins. The plants are usually harvested after they flower, but before the flowers go to seed. The stalks are cut off close to the ground. The stalks are tied into bundles and soaked in water (retting) for about 20 days. This process softens the tissues and breaks the hard pectin bond between the bast and jute hurd (inner woody fibre stick) and the process permits the fibres to be separated. The fibres are then stripped from the stalks in long strands and washed in clear, running water. Then they are hung up or spread on thatched roofs to dry. After 2-3 days of drying, the fibres are tied into bundles. In order to produce a broader use of jute for decorative, furnishing, and apparel products, further processing needs to occur. This would include dyeing and finishing, as well as scourging or bleaching initially.

See also Jute cultivation.

History

For centuries, Jute has been an integral part of Bengali culture, which is shared by Both Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the raw jute fibre was exported to the United Kingdom, where it was then processed in mills concentrated in Dundee ("Jute Weaver" was a recognised trade occupation in the 1901 UK census), but this trade had largely ceased by about 1970 due to the entrance of synthetic fibres.

Magaret Donnelly I, was a jute mill landowner in Dundee in the 1800's. She set up the first jute mills in India. In the 1950's and 1960's when nylon and polythene were rarely used, the United Pakistan (then the world leader in Jute products) was earning money through jute of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. It was called the Golden Fibre of Bangladesh, when it used to bring major portion of the foreign currency reserve for Bangladesh. But, as the use of polythene and other synthetic materials as a substitute for jute started to capture the market, most economists said that jute industry is experiencing a decline. For several years, farmers in Bangladesh burnt their crops as they did not get an adequate price. Many exporters that were dealing with jute found other commodities to deal with. The jute related organisations and government bodies also experienced closures, change, and fund cutting. The long decline in demand forced the largest jute mill in the world (Adamjee Jute Mills) to close. But the farmers of Bangladesh surprisingly did not stop growing jute, mainly due to demand in the internal market. Recently, (2004-2006) the jute market turned back again and the price of raw jute increased more than 50% due to high demand of jute products worldwide.

During 1941, Henry Ford tested the strength of a car trunk made from soybean fibre. The trunk was made of soy-protein plastic reinforced with glass, which was stronger, lighter, and more flexible than conventional car panels. This experiment revolutionised the use of natural fibres in the Automobile Industry and made cars lighter to burn less gasoline. The previously used glass fibre proved to be very heavy and emitted poisonous gas when burnt. Therefore, most people died of poisonous gas inhalation, not by wounds during car accidents. This fact has driven the European Union to ban the use of glass fibre in automobiles. When Henry Ford's experiment gained huge response, the automobile companies started to search for other bast fibres, as soyabean fibre had problems in moulding. They found that, flax was the best bast fibre for the automobile interior production. It has been shown that flax, jute, and hemp fibres contain characteristics such as ductile structure and stiffness per unit of weight that result in benefits during side impacts. But, jute was recognised as the next to the best at a quite late time. In some cases, jute has become the better option than flax in producing car interiors. Moreover, jute proved to be the most cost effective fibre in this sector, as jute is the cheapest vegetable fibre with very high tensile strength. However, there are contrasting information regarding this history. Some say that, the car trunk of soy-protein plastic reinforced with glass was invented by an African American employee of Ford Motor Company. Other uses for natural fibres now includes composite production of sheet moulding compound, resin transfer moulding, and vacuum pressing techniques and injection.

See also: History of jute fibre

Uses

Jute matting being used to prevent flood erosion while natural vegetation becomes established. For this purpose, a natural and biodegradable fibre is essential.

Jute is the second most important vegetable fibre after cotton; not only for cultivation, but also for various uses. Jute is used chiefly to make cloth for wrapping bales of raw cotton, and to make s and coarse cloth. The fibres are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets, hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum.

However, jute is being replaced by synthetic materials for many of these uses, though the importance of biodegradation in some situations where artificial fibres are unsuitable leaves some uses open to jute. Examples of such uses include containers for planting young trees which can be planted directly with the container without disturbing the roots, and land restoration where jute cloth prevents erosion occurring while natural vegetation becomes established.

The fibres are used alone or blended with other types of fibres to make twine and rope. Jute butts, the coarse ends of the plants, are used to make inexpensive cloth. Conversely, very fine threads of jute can be separated out and made into imitation silk. As Jute fibres are also being used to make pulp and paper, and with increasing concern over forest destruction for the wood pulp used to make most paper, the importance of jute for this purpose may increase. Jute has a long history of use in the sackings, carpets, wrapping fabrics (cotton bale), construction fabric manufacturing industry.

Traditionally Jute was used in traditional textile machineries as textile fibres having cellulose (vegetable fibre content) and lignin (wood fibre content). But, the major breakthrough came, when the automobile industry, pulp and paper industry, and the furniture and bedding industry started to use jute and its allied fibres with their non-woven and composite technology to manufacture nonwovens, technical textiles, and composits. Therefore, jute has changed its textile fibre outlook and steadily heading towards its newer identity, i.e. wood fibre. Because, as a textile fibre, jute has reached its peak from where there is no hope of progress. But, as a wood fibre, jute has many promising features [1].

Jute has entered various diversified sectors, where natural fibres are gradually becoming better substitution. Among these industries are paper, celluloid products (films), nonwoven textiles (for car interiors and other uses), composites (pseudo-wood), and geotextiles.

Geotextile is another fact that made this agricultural commodity more popular in the agricultural sector. It is a lightly woven fabric made from natural fibres that is used for soil erosion control, seed protection, weed control, and many other agricultural and landscaping uses. The geotextiles can be used more than a year and the bio-degradable jute geotextile left to rot on the ground keeps the ground cool and is able to make the land more fertile. Methods such as this could be used to transfer the fertility of the Ganges Delta to the deserts of Sahara or Australia .

Moreover, jute can be grown in 4-6 months with a huge amount of cellulose being produced from the Jute hurd (Inner woody core or parenchyma of the Jute stem) that can meet most of the wood needs of the world. Jute is the major crop among others that is able to protect deforestation by industrialisation.

Thus, jute is the most environment-friendly fibre starting from the seed to expired fibre, as the expired fibres can be recycled more than once.

Diversified byproducts which can be cultivated from jute include uses in food, cosmetics, medicine, paints, and other products.

Some Features of Jute

Picture of cutting lower part of the long jute fibre. The lower part is hard fibre, which is called jute cuttings in Bangladesh and India (Commonly called jute butts or tops elsewhere). Jute cuttings are lower in quality, but has commercial value for the paper, carded yarn, and other fibre processing indutries. Jute fibres are kept in bundles in the background in a warehouse in Bangladesh.

* Jute fibre is 100% bio-degradable and recyclable and thus environment friendly.
* It is a natural fibre with golden and silky shine and hence called The Golden Fibre
* It is the cheapest vegetable fibre procured from the bast or skin of the plant's stem
* It is the second most important vegetable fibre after cotton, in terms of usage, global consumption, production, and availability
* It has high tensile strength, low extensibility, and ensures better breathability of fabrics. Therefore, jute is very suitable in agricultural commodity bulk packaging
* It helps to make best quality industrial yarn, fabric, net, and sacks. It is one of the most versatile natural fibres that has been used in raw materials for packaging, textiles, non-textile, construction, and agricultural sectors. Bulking of yarn results in a reduced breaking tenacity and an increased breaking extensibility when blended as a ternary blend.
* Jute plant is derived from a relative of the Hemp (Cannabis) plant. However, Jute is totally free from narcotic elements or odour
* The varieties of Jute are: Tossa Jute - Corchorus olitorius (Golden shine) and White Jute - Corchorus capsularis (Silvery Shine)
* The best source of Jute in the world is the Bengal Delta Plain in the Ganges Delta, most of which is occupied by Bangladesh.
*Advantages of jute include good insulating and antistatic properties, as well as having low thermal conductivity and a moderate moisture regain. Other advantages of jute include acoustic insulating properties and manufacture with no skin irritations.
*Jute has the ability to be blended with other fibres, both synthetic and natural, and accepts cellulosic dye classes such as natural, basic, vat, sulfur, reactive, and pigment dyes. As the demand for natural comfort fibres increases, the demand for jute and other natural fibres that can be blended with cotton will increase. To meet this demand, it has been suggested that the natural fibre industry adopt the Rieter's Elitex system, in order to modernize processing. The resulting jute/cotton yarns will produce fabrics with a reduced cost of wet processing treatments. Jute can also be blended with wool. By treating jute with caustic soda, crimp, softness, pliability and appearance is improved, aiding in its ability to be spun with wool. Liquid ammonia has a similar effect on jute, as well as the added characteristic of improving flame resistance when treated with flameproofing agents.
*Some noted disadvantages include poor drapability and crease resistance, brittleness, fibre shedding, and yellowing in sunlight. However, preparation of fabrics with castor oil lubricants result in less yellowing and less fabric weight loss, as well as increased dyeing brilliance. Jute has a decreased strength when wet, and also becomes subject to microbial attack in humid climates. Jute can be processed with an enzyme in order to reduce some of its brittleness and stiffness. Once treated with an enzyme, jute shows an affinity to readily accept natural dyes, which can be made from marigold flower extract. In one attempt to dye jute fabric with this extract, bleached fabric was mordanted with ferrous sulphate, increasing the fabrics dye uptake value. Jute also responds well to reactive dyeing. This process is used for bright and fast coloured value-added diversified products made from jute.

External links

Articles and resources related to jute

*International Jute Study Group (IJSG) Resources about Jute, Kenaf and Roselle Plants.
*Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University Some chemistry and medicinal information on Tossa Jute.

Institutes related to Jute

*International Jute Study Group (IJSG). A UN collaboration for learning various aspects of Jute and Kenaf. Its headquarter is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
*Bangladeshi Ministry of Jute and Textile (Jute Division). The ministry in Bangladesh directly concerned about Jute.
*Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI). The Institute in Bangladesh dedicated for Jute Research.
*Institute of Jute Technology, Kolkata, India. An institute for advanced research on jute and allied fibres.
*The Golden Fibre Trade Centre Limited (GFTCL) - Jute Resource Page Commercial site used (with permission) as source for much of this article.

References

*A new method to determine the proportion of jute in a jute / cotton blend. By: Vijayakumar, K. A.; Raajendraa, P. R.. Asian Textile Journal, May2005, Vol. 14 Issue 5, p70-72, 3p, 2 charts, 1 graph; (AN 18137355)
*A NOVEL PROCESS OF DYEING OF JUTE FABRIC USING REACTIVE DYE. By: Chattopadhyay, S. N.; Pan, N. C.; Day, A.. Textile Industry of India, Sep2004, Vol. 42 Issue 9, p15-22, 8p; (AN 17093709)
*Bio-Composites -- An Overview. By: Madhu T.. Textile Magazine, June 2002, Vol. 43 Issue 8, p49, 2p; (AN TDH0656367200206816)
*Chemical Modification of Jute. By: Maulik S. R.. Asian Textile Journal, July 2001, Vol. 10 Issue 7, p99, 8p; (AN TDH0648424200108473)
*Comparative Studies on Bleaching and Dyeing of Jute after Processing with Mineral Oil in Water Emulsion vis-a-vis Self-Emulsifiable Castor Oil. By: Roy T. K. G.; Chatterjee S. K.; Gupta B. D.. Colourage, Aug. 2002, Vol. 49 Issue 8, p27, 5p; (AN TDH0657901200208350)
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*Dyeing of jute fabric with natural dye extracted from marigold flower. By: Pan, N. C.; Chattopadhyay, S. N.; Day, A.. Asian Textile Journal, Jul2004, Vol. 13 Issue 7, p80-82, 3p, 2 charts, 1bw; (AN 15081016)
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*Properties of Jute. By: Pan N. C.; Day A.; Mahalanabis K. K.. Indian Textile Journal, Feb. 2000, Vol. 110 Issue 5, p16, (AN TDH0635236200004885)
*Properties of jute based ternary blended bulked yarns. By: Basu, G.; Sinha, A. K.; Chattopadhyay, S. N.. Man-Made Textiles in India, Sep2005, Vol. 48 Issue 9, p350-353 (AN 18605324)
*Quality improvement on Jute and Jute cotton materials using enzyme treatment and natural dyeing. By: Moses, J. Jeyakodi; Ramasamy, M.. Man-Made Textiles in India, Jul2004, Vol. 47 Issue 7, p252-255 (AN 14075527)
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