| The recycling rate of post-consumer apparel waste is low. This is compounded byour limited understanding of the fibre recovered from apparel waste and a lack ofdevelopment in novel applications. Motivated by the growing rate of accumulationin unwanted clothing, this study focused on a number of integrated researchthemes aimed at understanding the nature of reclaimed cotton fibre, its use inpaper-based materials and its utilisation in apparel related applications.Initially, the investigation characterised reclaimed cotton fibres from two differentrecovery machines (pinned air-layer and cutting mill). The results showed thatneither process was capable of producing adequate fibre quality for fine yarnmanufacture. The fibres exhibited extensive surface damage, length shorteningand an increase in length distribution. After the initial characterisation, studieswere undertaken to investigate the use of paper technology to increase thepossibility of using reclaimed fibre in apparel.Strength is an important property in apparel related applications, therefore, thestrength of reclaimed cotton-based paper was enhanced. The effects of a 4%sodium hydroxide pre-treatment on the beating performance and resultant sheetproperties of reclaimed fibre pulp were investigated. At low beating levels, theresults showed a significant 35% and 39% increase in tensile strength and energyabsorption, respectively. With the treatment it is, therefore, possible to obtain astrong paper with high bulk, which can be further utilised to improve surfacesoftness. Optimum dry and wet strength enhancement of the resultant paper wasobtained with the combined addition of 1% carboxymethyl cellulose and 2%polyamideamine-epichlorhydrin. The development of wet strength was vital inorder to facilitate uniform twist insertion in subsequent paper yarn manufacture.This study was one of the first to test the viability of using reclaimed cotton fibrein the production of paper yarns suitable for apparel manufacture. Thewet-strengthened reclaimed-fibre paper was slit into 3 mm width ribbons,dampened, then twisted into yarns. The resultant yarns (46-193 tex) wereuniform but lacked sufficient strength for use in weaving and knitting processes.Analysis of a commercial paper yarn, OJO+ , suggested that strength could beimproved if fibre orientation was increased in the machine direction.A further application, in the form of a jacket, was trialled. The focus here was totest sewability using a variety of seam and stitch formations to sew togetherdenim-derived cotton paper. A simple design using lap seams with straightstitching was established as the most effective construction. The final jacketsatisfied industry requirements on seam strength and efficiency, however, furtherinvestigation into improving comfort and wear-ability will be essential. |
