What is Jute?
Jute is a long, golden, and shiny fiber that comes from a plant. It is eco-friendly—it is kind to the earth, can also break down naturally, and can be used again (biodegradable and recyclable). But sometimes, jute can feel a little stiff or rough for clothes, and it can be hard to wash. Researchers and scientist have been tinkling with different fabrics, such as cotton. The goal is to find a perfect blend to make jute good for clothes, bedding, and other textiles we use everyday.
What is Cotton?
Cotton is a soft, fluffy fiber that grows inside a boll on the cotton plant. Farmers grow cotton in warm places, and when the bolls open, the white fibers are picked and cleaned. Cotton is used to make many things we wear and use every day, like shirts, shorts, skirts, towels, light blankets, and bedsheets. It is strong, comfortable, and lets our skin breathe, which makes it one of the most popular materials in the world.
BLENDING JUTE AND COTTON FOR A NEW FABRIC: JUTE + COTTON = JUTTON
Jute alone can feel a little rough and stiff, which isn't great for clothes or other fabric that touch the skin. That's where cotton comes in. Cotton is soft and comfortable. The big idea is that by mixing jute with cotton, we can make fabrics that are strong, and comfortable. This also means local manufacturers don't have to buy as much cotton from other countries, which helps the local economy.
In 2018, researchers, Barsha, Uddin, Hasan, and Chowdhury did a study on blending jute and cotton fabrics. They wanted to see if mixing jute with cotton could make a super fabric that's good for clothes and good for the planet (Barsha et al., Investigation on Physical Properties of Jute Cotton (Jutton) Blended Fabric, 2018).
The new fabric they made is called Jutton, and it's a plain woven fabric (like a simple checkerboard pattern). Their Jutton fabric was made with 67% jute and 33% cotton. They hoped this Jutton fabric would be great for fashion all over the world because it shows improved properties.
In 2022, Neaz Morshed and his team at the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute also studied the mixture of jute and cotton fibers (Morshed et al., Research and analysis of sustainability of jute and cotton blends fabrics, 2022).
How was jutton fabric made?
Morshed and his team mixed jute and cotton fibers in different amounts, like 15% jute to 85% cotton, or 35% jute to 65% cotton. They then spun these mixed fibers into yarn using two different spinning machines: a rotor system and a ring system. Barsha et al. also stated that when they used less jute in the mix, like 15% jute to 85% cotton, the yarn was often stronger and more even.
WHAT DID RESEARCHERS LOOK FOR
The researchers tested many things about this new Jutton fabric to see how it would perform. They checked:
- How strong it is when pulled (tensile strength)
- How much water it holds (known as moisture content)
- How easily air goes through it (called air permeability—this helps us know if it's breathable)
- How thick it is
- How stiff or soft it feels (its stiffness)
- How well it unwrinkles after being squeezed (this is crease recovery)
- If it gets little fuzzy balls on the surface (that's pilling)
- How well it stands up to rubbing (called abrasion resistance)
THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY ABOUT JUTE AND COTTON (JUTTON)
The Jutton fabric showed some promising results:
1| Strong and stretchy: The fabric was strong when pulled, especially in the weft (crosswise) direction. It showed it can handle pulling forces well. It also showed good stretch before breaking.
2| Moderate moisture & breathability: The Jutton fabric had a moisture content of about 4.94%. This is moderate and means it still offers good breathability and comfort, even if it's not as high as cotton.
3| Good thickness: It had an average thickness of 1.12mm. Because jute fibers are naturally a little coarser, the fabric felt substantial. The researchers think this Jutton fabric could be an excellent alternative for winter clothes. This is because it can help keep body temperature.
4| Good wrinkle recovery: It did a good job of recovering from creases, with good angles in both warp and weft directions. This means clothes made from Jutton would have better dimensional stability and likely won't wrinkle as much.
5| Moderately stiff: The blending with cotton and special finishing helped make the fabric less stiff. It had moderate stiffness, which means it would be good for making outerwear like jackets.
6| Excellent against pilling and rubbing: The Jutton fabric showed excellent performance against pilling. It also had magnificent abrasion resistance. It lasted a long time (over 26,000 rubbing cycles) before showing wear.
7| Color absorption: The colors they dyed onto the fabric stayed on well, even after rubbing.
CONCLUSION: WHY THE JUTE AND COTTON FABRIC BLEND IS IMPORTANT
Researchers, Barsha et al. and Morshed et al., believe that the jute-cotton blended fabric has a serious potential to be used as a sustainable fabric around the world. New products can also be created. These include denim for jeans, curtains, bed covers, and other things for our homes.
Using jute can help protect our environment and support the growth of the apparel and textile industries. It could also help the country’s economy by reducing the need to import cotton or relying too much on cotton. It's a great step towards a more sustainable future in textiles.
The article, authored by Shahinur et al., also explains that blending jute with cotton is a way to make products that are good for the environment. Jute is a natural fiber that helps the earth by having a low impact on carbon, water, and CO2 levels (Shahinur et al., Current Development and Future Perspective on Natural Jute Fibers and Their Biocomposites, March 2022).
Shahinur et al. say this about ongoing research on jute-cotton blend:
- Scientists are still working to make these blended textiles even better. For example, they are exploring ways to improve how the fabric soaks up water or how well it takes dye.
- They are also looking into giving it special features, like preventing germs, by using treatments such as chitosan.
- Researchers are also working on methods to improve properties like wicking and dyeability through treatments.