JUTE FIBER

BAST FIBER

Stem

Jute (Chorchorus)

Outline:� Introduction

� Structure of Fiber

� Production and Processing of fiber◦ Cultivation

◦ Harvesting

◦ Retting

◦ Stripping

◦ Washing

◦ Drying

◦ Bailing & Packing

◦ Transport

� Properties

� End Uses

Introduction

� Jute is a natural fiber

popularly known as the

“Golden Fiber”.

� Jute fiber comes from

the stem of a herbaceous

annual plant

“Corchorus” .

� Jute is the second in the world’s production of textile

fibers after cotton

� India, China, Bangladesh are leading producers of Jute

� Jute is almost entirely a market oriented crop

� Bangladesh is the largest cultivator of rawjute

� The plant has a height of 8 to 12 feet

Structure of Fiber

� Commercial jute varies fromyellow to brown to greyish in

color.

� The bundle of fibers held together by gummy material;

lignin which plays an important role in structure of plant.

� By contrast with the regular lumen of flax, that of jute is

irregular; it becomes narrowin places quite suddenly.

Structure of Fiber

Longitudinal View

Part of a fiber bundle of jute as seen in transverse view under the scanning electronmicroscope. The cementing material between the ultimate fibers can be clearly seen. Magnification7600.

Cross-sectional view

Production and Processing of Fiber

� Jute is a rainy season crop, sown fromMarch to May

according to rainfall and type of land.

� Jute requires a warmand humid climate with temperature

between 24ċ to 37ċ.

� The soil of good depth, containing salts fromannual

floods, is best for jute.

� The stalk diameter of plant is ¾ inches.

Stages of Production & Processing Cultivation

Harvesting

Retting

Stripping

Washing

Drying

Bailing & Packing

Storage

Cultivation Process

Sowing of jute starts with the showers in March or

April and continues till early June. Phosphorus,

Potash & Nitrogen fertilizers are used for this

crop.

Harvesting Process

Jute is harvested any time between 120 days to 150 days

when the flowers have been shed, early harvesting gives

good healthy fibers. The harvested plants are left in the

field for 3 days for the leaves to shed (means leaves got

dried up).

Retting Process

� Retting is a process in which fibers get loosened due to

decomposition of hard cell walls by the action of bacteria.

The bundles are steeped in water at least 60cmto 90cm

depth.

Stripping Process (Fiber Extraction)

Stripping is the process of removing the fibers fromthe stalk

after the completion of retting. Fibers are removed from

the stalk by any one of the following methods:

1. Single plants are taken and their fibers are taken off.

2. Taken off a handful of stalks, breaking it in a to and fro motion in

water.

Washing Process

Extracted fibers are washed in clean water. The dark color of

fibers can be removed by dipping themin tamarind water

for 15 to 20 minutes and again washed in clean water.

Drying Process

The fibers are hung on bamboo railings for sun drying for

2-3 days. After drying, the fibers are ready to be sold in the

market.

Bailing & Packing Process

� The bailing of jute fiber is done according to grading

system. The fiber is graded into Top, Middle, B, C and X-

Bottoms.

� Packing into Kutcha bales about 250 pounds for use in

mills or jute market.

Properties

1. Fiber Surface & Appearance: Yellow to brown to dirty grey

in color and Natural Silky Lustrous appearance

2. Tensile Strength: Not stronger than flax because of the

irregularities in the thickness of cell wall.

3. Elongation:

Elongation at break = 1.7%

4. Elastic Properties: It is a stiff fiber and not tend to return its

original length completely when the tension is relaxed.

5. Specific Gravity: 1.5

6. Length: 1~4 meters (3~12 feet)

Properties

7. Effect of Moisture:

Moisture Regain = 13.75%

Jute can absorb as much as 23% of water under humid conditions

8. Effect of Age: High content of non-cellulosic matter makes jute

sensitive against chemical and photochemical attack.

9. Effect of Microorganisms: Jute is more resistant to micro-

organismdue to protective effect of lignin.

Advantages:

� Great antistatic properties

� Low thermal conductivity.

� 100% Biodegradable; so it is environment friendly

fiber like Cotton.

� Cheap in market.

� Can be widely used in Agriculture Sector, Textile

Sector, Woven Sector, Nonwoven Sector.

� Jute Fiber can be blended with Natural and Synthetic

fibers.

Disadvantages:

�The crease resistance of Jute is very low.

�Drape Property is not good enough.

�Create Shade effect and becomes yellowish

if sunlight is used.

� If Jute is wetted it lose it’s strength.

End Uses

Jute is cheap and reasonably strong and is available in large

quantities.

Generally used in:

� Sacks & Packing Cloth

� Food Storage

� Backing cloth for carpets

� Curtains & Furnishing fabric

� Used in Geotextiles, technical textiles and textile

composites

� Mixed with wool, used in cheap clothing