Awareness programs like exhibitions, seminars, training, etc., may encourage the farmers to grow ramie in vast areas. It gives better result when it wet. However, profitable growing for fibre purpose is based on the principle of as many cutting a year as possible and to produce the best results the plants requires a favourable climate with steady high temperature, a humid atmosphere and a well-distributed annual rainfall of not less than 1.125 mm. Let’s have a look on the factors. Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) is a wonderful fiber-producing plant species, but it has not received adequate care and attention from researchers.Ramie fiber is considered the longest, strongest and most durable of all known plant fibers. Ramie fibre is easily identified by its coarseness, thick walls, lacks twist and has striated surfaces25. Attempts have been made by various researchers to spin ramie in blends with jute, silk, viscose and polyester fibres using jute and woollen spinning systems32-34. The fibre is coarser and consists of hairs, projecting from the surface, its length varies considerably from 40-200 mm and the fibre diameter is around 25-30 μm. From 4-5% of ramie ribbons are cleaned from the stalks, so that from 400-1400 pounds per acre are yield annually in the same period, the average yield ranging around a thousand pounds. Natural fibres are gaining importance day by day in all over the world. The extracted fibrous material, after washing, should be immediately dried or degummed to prevent the development of mildew. The gums of ramie are composed of araban and xylans which are insoluble in water but easily soluble in alkaline solutions. Ramie is a fiber crop originating from China that has great ability to tolerate and accumulate HMs. Instead, it must first undergo a severe pounding or scraping to remove the outer bark, which is administered by hand or by one of the many types of decorticating machines. Firstly, process ramie fibers by the lattice distortion modification processing equipment. The high potential of ramie fibre is not fully exploited due to various techno-economic reasons. Removal of the gum enables the fibre to take a more crystalline form. Normally, about 60% of the total weight of the degummed material will be long fibre. The thermogravimetric analysis of ramie fibre is shown in Fig. Apart from textile uses, ramie fibre can be utilised for the production of various diversified products. In India it is called by different popular names such as Rhea, Popah, KhunKoora, Kurkunda etc. Aliphatic C-H stretching of cellulose and hemicellulose is indicated by the peak 1377 cm–1 29. Another difficulty with the crop is its very low production by itself. Weight loss (%) ramie fibre subjected to heating in varied temperature, indicating nature of thermal decomposition, https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ajt.2017.1.9, FAO statistics, 2013, (a) Fiber yield hg ha, Varieties of ramie, white ramie and green ramie, SEM photograph of (a) Decorticated (b) Combined degummed and bleached ramie fibre, Chemical composition of bast fibres by percentage mass, Mechanical methods of extracting the fibre from the stalks and, particularly, for subsequent degumming of the strands are still in an experimental stage, Although flax, cotton and silk machinery have been utilized for processing, ramie is best prepared on machinery constructed primarily for the purpose, Surface of the fibres is very smooth and difficulty is encountered in making the strands interlock when spinning fine counts of yarns, so that ramie fabrics have a tendency to be uneven. The type of mat used is imported from a Chinese supplier (based in Shanghai) by sea freight and is expected to have more energy related to transportation than e-glass, … It is also made into fabrics for household furnishings and clothing, frequently in … Dewey." 1 In China, ramie is planted as a key cash crop The ramie plant is a hardy perennial belonging to the Urticaceae or Nettle family, which can be harvested up to 6 times a year. After degumming the cellulose content of the fibres are raised above 95%. 7. --- "Revision of, and supersedes Miscellaneous circular no. Ramie Title Ramie Processing treatment commercial processing Image Identification information Ramie-003-06-19-09-POL-400X-PM-9 Image capture digital Date of image capture 06/19/09 Microscopist L. Crawford Microscope Zeiss Axioplan Mounting agent and RI RI: permount 1.515 Microscopic technique Polarized light, fiber at maximum brightness Lumen type Ramie is normally harvested two to three times a year, but under good growing conditions can be harvested up to six times per year. ASCI, Investigating the Physical Properties of Treated and Untreated Jute Fibre-Polyester Composites, Study on Improvement in Handle Properties of Wool/Cotton Union Fabric by Enzyme Treatment and Subsequent Polysiloxane-based Combination Finishing, Eco-friendly Surface Modifications of Wool Fiber for its Improved Functionality: There may be several reasons behind it, especially, the difficulties associated with decortication, degumming, pest and diseases. On the other hand, growers of ramie are not likely to produce large quantities of the fibre-unless they have a reasonable assurance that there would be a large demand for it. In the current scenario, there is no specialized spinning system in India is available for ramie and is spun in jute system. 4 and 5. A novel low cost polymer composite using brown grass flower broom reinforcement is prepared. An Overview, Microbial Lipases and Their Industrial Applications: Review, Study on the Physical Properties of Blended Rotor Spun Yarn, https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ajt.2017.1.9. Decorticators developed for ramie include small mobile types suitable for use in the field and larger machines designed for central operation. It is referred to as bast fiber. Ramie is still not used much by the textile industry largely because it is a high cost fibre due to its complex processing requirements. OPEN ACCESS Asian Journal of Textile ISSN 1819-3358 DOI: 10.3923/ajt.2017.1.9 Review Article Ramie Fibre Processing and Value Addition 1Seiko Jose, 2S. The ramie fiber (Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud, Boehmeria nivea var. See more ideas about fiber, plant fibres, natural fibers. This produces coarser count yarn but much less labour is required. Due to the presence of gum, the fibre becomes stiff and brittle. It was used in mummy cloths in Egypt during the period 5000 - 3000 BC and has been grown in China for many centuries. Mar 13, 2018 - Explore Bansky Bernadett's board "Ramie- Fiber" on Pinterest. Colour, strength, softness, length, fibre separation and defects (major, minor). Abstract. Rajna and 1P. In spite of the undoubtedly good properties of ramie fibre, the wide occurrence of the plant and the enormous amount of publicity which has been given to the subject from time, the fibre has not so far been developed or used on any large scale outside of China and Japan. Ramie is a labour intensive and input intensive crop in terms of planting material, plant nutrients and machines. Some users (textile mills) have lost interest in the fibre mainly because of the problems of irregularity of quality supply and as well as processing difficulties and these have further discouraged the industrial sector from promoting the use of ramie. In the current scenario, the textile industries are not showing much interest in the processing of ramie due to the difficulties associated with degumming and unsteady supply of fibre in the market. Planters harvest ramie approximately every 60days by cutting mature bast and protect roots. The process of removal of gum from the fibre is known as degumming. From the physico-mechanical characterization such as: hardness measurement, density measurement, void fraction or porosity measurement, and flexural strength measurement, it is found that the prepared composite is of light weight and high strength. Use of decorticators in the field saves the cost of transporting unwanted plant material to soil10. Ramie is an important fiber crop used in textile processing. Unlike other bast crops, ramie requires chemical processing to de-gum the fiber. This long fibre is spun separately. The market prize of ramie fibre is determined by grading system. The peak at 1424 cm–1 corresponds to the bending vibration of CH2 for crystalline as well as amorphous cellulose27. Most of the ramie fibre extracted is used in producing countries and only a small percentage reaches international markets. The fibre yield and area of cultivation is shown in the Fig. Tensile strength of jute/ramie blended (50:50) yarn under normal dry and wet conditions were found to be better as compared to 100% jute yarn. The SEM images showing the effect of combined degumming and bleaching is shown in Fig. It is important that ramie should be harvested at the right time if the best fibre is to be obtained. This fiber is used to blend with the cotton or wool fiber. Cellulose is a polysaccharide (i.e., a polymeric sugar) which can be represented by a simple formula (C6H10O5)n. The chemical composition of ramie fibre is as shown in Table 1. This machine is using to peeling the kinds of fibre from kind of ramie (ramee), jute, kenaf (ambary), hemp, etc. The weight loss is mainly because of evaporation of water and volatile substances (low molecular weight waxes and fats). Ramie fiber is collected from the bark of the vegetable stalks. It is resistant to bacteria, mildew, mild alkalis, rotting26, sunlight and insect attack. 8. The greater utilization of ramie depends upon the development of improved processing methods. It is having good wetting strength but poor in elasticity, abrasion resistance and wrinkle recovery. Among nature fibres, cotton occupied supreme position in both production and consumption. It possesses highest strength and length, good durability and absorbency with excellent lustre. So, it is always better to remove the gum content of ramie fibre before going for the processing of the fibre. 110, Ramie, a fiber-yielding plant, by Lyster H. The fibres support the conductive cells of the phloem and provide strength to the stem. Prolonged treatment with strong alkali and strong acids causes loss in strength of the fibre and also hydrolysis of cellulose. The density of fibre ranges from 1.50-1.55. In principle, any machine which is used for sisal or kenaf decortications can be adjusted for ramie. In Japan, ramie is used for canvas, suit-cloth, mat-edge, cloth and a large number of other purposes7. The individual growers may not be in a position to make such investment for raising the crop. White ramie and green ramie as shown in Fig. preliminary processing of ramie: fibre extraction The fibre is derived from the inner bast tissues of the stem. Production of Ramie Fibre-Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), commonly known as China grass, white ramie, green ramie and rhea, is one of the group referred to as the bast fiber crops. It is one of the strongest fiber then others. But it is only in comparatively modern times that the production of ramie fabric has become established on a commercial scale. Generally two methods of grading are adopted. The bast of ramie cannot be removed from the woody tissue in which it is embedded by a simple retting process such as is used for flax, hemp and jute. Weight loss occurs between 290 and 380°C, mainly corresponds to cellulose degradation. Degumming is still treated as trade secret by the mills that have perfected this art. Dewey." From the Fig. Spinning mills were operated in England, France and Germany towards the end of the nineteenth century. In some of the reported works32,35, blending of 10-15% raw or ramie partially degummed ramie with jute helps to spin good quality yarns of finer count in the range of 100-105 tex. It is stiff and brittle and it breaks when repeatedly folded in the same place. Generally it grows up to a height of 1-25 m, the leaves are heart-shaped, 7-15 cm long and 6-12 cm broad and white on the underside with dense small hairs. Includes bibliographical references Addeddate It is having a moisture regain of around 12%. Properties of degummed ramie fibres make it more attractive and better than cotton. The inherent draw backs of ramie fibre can be overcome by proper blending with natural/synthetic fibres. After three passages of successive drawing, the sliver was processed through jute roving machine and finally spun in to a yarn of 84 tex. As mentioned above, ramie is not retted in the same way as are other stem fibres such as jute, hemp, flax, etc., because the pectinous substances in ramie are far more difficult to remove or break down than those present in these other fibres. 1a). Earlier so many countries tried to cultivate ramie, some of them withdrawn the cultivation due to some inevitable situations. Table 2 shows weight loss percentage of ramie fibre subjected to heating in varied temperature, indicating nature of thermal decomposition. The use of ramie is limited by its price and spinning properties. Decortication should be completed on the day of harvest and if there are some left over, they should be kept moist by sprinkling water till decortications is done on the following day. The results show that, compared to long ramie fibers processed in a conventional ramie spinning system, the stretch-broken fibers, with reasonable fiber length and high length uniformity, can be processed in a cotton spinning system with high efficiency … Processing of Ramie Fiber with Enzymes for Nonwovens KEYWORDS : Ramie fiber, Hemicellu-lase, Pectinase, Cellulase, Needle punch, Nonwoven The stems are green until they are mature, but then they begin to turn brown, starting at the bottom. Form the table 1 it is observed that the cellulosic content in ramie is much more than other bast fibre like Jute and Hemp. The retting process of ramie involves lots of chemicals and is labor-intensive. Ramie is most often blended with other fibres for its unique strength, absorbency, lustre and dye affinity. After the fibre has been submitted to the degumming action, it is thoroughly washed and dried. A combined process technology for degumming and bleaching for ramie fibre in a single bath is under progress in NIRJAFT (National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology), Kolkata. Of course, numerous patents have been published relating to the degumming of ramie and there is certainly death of information on the subject. Bast fibers are fibers from cellulose in the stalks of plants. The FTIR spectrum of raw ramie fibre is shown in Fig. The extracted fibres contain approximately 25-30% gum12. Also, one should know the advantage and disadvantage of ramie fiber. Fabrics made from ramie fibre are comfortable to wear and looks like linen. Ramie fiber needs to be processed specifically to get its texture comfortable and useable, because if not, it will have coarse texture. Ramie is one of the strongest fibers. Methods of spinning ramie may vary, in different countries and mills and are determined to a large extent by the type of spinning system available in a particular mill. --- "Contribution from Bureau of Plant Industry." The adaptation of the plant to soil is another retarding factor. China holds the monopoly in both production and exporting of ramie. Apart from that, ramie also find application in sacks, carpets, reinforced polymers, twine, handicrafts, paper, cordage, gas mantles, fishing nets and marine packaging. After harvesting, if the ribbons are not to be stripped from the stalks right away and the fibre extracted, the cut stems or ribbons should be dried as soon as possible, to prevent bacterial attack. N1 - Caption title. However, the development of a greater ramie industry has been hampered, first, by technical difficulties resulted from the nature of the fibre and secondly, by commercial difficulties attendant upon the introduction of most new textiles. 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