What is Bamboo Fabric: Properties & Applications

Clothing made of bamboo fabric has swept the sustainable fashion industry. For a more thorough explanation of bamboo fabric, read this article.

An eco-friendly fabric called bamboo fabric is created using only natural materials, like bamboo. In the textile industry, this fabric has been used extensively. The bamboo fabric requires investigation, just like other recently fashionable sustainable fabrics like hemp, lyocell, and modal.

Learn more about bamboo fabric in the following paragraphs, including what it is, how it compares to other fabrics in terms of sustainability, and where you can buy some.

What is Bamboo Fabric?

The term “bamboo fabric” widely refers to a number of different textiles that are made from the bamboo plant. Although bamboo has been used to make fabrics for thousands of years, the technique for turning this hardy and quickly expanding wood into fabric has only recently been perfected.

The history of bamboo textiles is complicated. While some varieties of this fabric are produced in an ethical and environmentally responsible manner, others might be harmful to the environment or the workers who make it.

It’s critical to learn more about the bamboo plant’s relationship to the textile industry in order to choose the appropriate kind of bamboo fabric.

How is Bamboo Fabric Made?

The bus must be supplied as the main material in order to begin making bamboo fabric. The primary naturally produced component of bamboo fabric is bash. Therefore, you must plant the bamboo first. Spring [March-June] is the ideal time to plant bash.

1. Slice Bamboo Small Strip: The bottom ring, also known as the sheathing ring, and the node should be identified with a metal or wood saw. Additionally, before cutting the line, it is essential to choose a 45° angle between the two nodes. Use caution when cutting bamboo, and never throw the culms onto a hard surface like concrete.
2. Make Bamboo Pulp: Smash the plant, then slice the stalks into teeny fibers to make a pulp of bamboo. Then, using the pulper, add chips to it, raise the temperature in the filter press to 145°C, and steam it to produce bamboo pulp.
3. The blending of Enzyme: Manufacturers submerge cellulose in sodium hydroxide or caustic soda solutions containing 15-20g/L each at 20–25°C. By filtering the water, long fibers can be produced. For the purpose of removing the cellulose and turning it into sheets, manufacturers soak bamboo pieces in chemicals for one to three hours.
4. Spin it into Yarn: After soaking, the material must be allowed to dry completely in order to separate the fiber, spin it in a thread, and then spin it into fiber threads. The 20% natural flexibility of bamboo yarns makes them special.
5. Weave into the fabric: Manufacturers convert yarn to fabric using the weaving technique of textile manufacturing. Each maker must choose the technique that best satisfies his needs out of the many available options because each affects the characteristics of the cloth.

Uses of Bamboo Fabric

In general, this type of fabric can be used for practically every application in which cotton is used. Given its many advantageous qualities, some customers might even prefer this kind of fabric to cotton.

For instance, bamboo fabric is more stretchy than cotton and is very breathable. It is simple to weave this fabric into fabrics with high thread counts, and the resulting textiles are frequently thinner than their cotton counterparts while maintaining similar or greater tensility.

Bamboo fabric may be used in sheets, blankets, towels, hand towels, or a number of other household textiles. See Bamboo Sheets Vs Egyptian Cotton: Which is Better for You?

But this fabric is most frequently used in clothing because of how soft and robust it is. Underwear made from this fabric is particularly popular, and socks, T-shirts, and other garments that make direct contact with the skin are commonly made with this fabric.

Because it purports to be antibacterial, some consumers prefer to use this type of fabric for intimate apparel.

However, research has indicated that the antibacterial properties for which bamboo is widely known are only majorly present in the raw product; once this type of wood has been processed into garments, these antibacterial benefits are mainly nonexistent.

It’s important to keep in mind that bamboo fabric can only be produced using mechanical methods if it has the desirable qualities that attract buyers. The softness and tensile strength of bamboo rayon and comparable semi-synthetic fabrics are inferior to those of natural fibers, and they offer very little in the way of antibacterial protection.

Types of Bamboo Fabric

According to the manufacturing process, bamboo fabric is divided into three categories. According to the method of production, there are three different types of bamboo fabric.

• Bamboo Viscose Fabric: Of all the bamboo textile varieties, bamboo viscose is the most widely used. Toxic chemicals like carbon disulfide, which are harmful to both the environment and human health, are used in the manufacturing process, making their claim to be an eco-friendly fabric dubious.
• Lyocell bamboo fabric: Using a closed-loop process, Lyocell bamboo fabric is produced. Solvents discharged from this process can be reused, which reduces waste compared to the production of bamboo viscose. Additionally, the procedure leaves the cellulose structure unaltered chemically, producing textiles free of chemicals.
• Fine Bamboo Fabric: When it comes to high-quality bamboo fabric, it is one of the best options to take authenticity into account. Despite being more expensive and taking longer to produce, its benefits far outweigh those of non-mechanically manufactured textiles.

Pros of Bamboo Fabric

In the textile industry, bamboo fabric is regarded as one of the most environmentally friendly and biodegradable materials. Softness, durability, and improved breathability are some of the useful characteristics of this fabric. As an eco-friendly fabric, it is widely used. All the beneficial properties and features of this fabric are discussed below_

• Soft and Breathable: The bamboo fabric, which is produced using only natural materials, is incredibly soft and cozy. Excellent breathability is a feature of this fabric.
• Excellently Durable: Along with being soft and breathable, this fabric is also very durable. It is widely used in household applications due to its durability feature.
• Biodegraded Fabric: Natural decomposition of bamboo fiber occurs without the release of damaging pollutants into the environment. This fabric is eco-friendly because it was created using only natural processes. Since it is made entirely of cellulosic material, it is biodegradable.
• Moisture Absorption: Micro-gaps and micro-holes in the cross-section of bamboo fibers enable them to better wick away moisture and allow for ventilation. Bamboo can absorb twice as much moisture as cotton thanks to its remarkable soil release.
• UV absorption: Bamboo-made fabric has a high level of UV absorption. The ultraviolet rays of the sun are blocked from the skin. It is safe to use on toddlers, pregnant women, and other people of all ages.

Cons of Bamboo Fabric

Like all fabrics, bamboo fabric has some disadvantages. Hazardous emissions, a propensity for shrinkage, and a high price are a few notable drawbacks.

• Hazardous emissions: As previously mentioned, some bamboo fabric manufacturing processes call for powerful chemicals that harm the environment when released into the air untreated. Furthermore, they are unhealthy for people. Strong chemicals like carbon disulfide can cause respiratory issues in workers as well as other serious health effects.
• Prone to shrinkage: Due to its high water-holding capacity, bamboo may shrink more quickly than other textiles like cotton. In order to prevent shrinkage, it is advised to wash your bamboo fabric clothing in cool water and dry them gently.
• Expensive: Bamboo textile production takes a long time and requires a lot of labor. This raises the market price, particularly for a natural bamboo fiber fabric with a constrained market supply.

How to Care for Bamboo Fabric?

It is not difficult to maintain the bamboo fabric. It can be dry cleaned or machine washed. It cleans better in cold to warm water, which is also better for the environment because it consumes less energy.

Using eco-friendly fabric softeners or bleach is not necessary. Pick a mild detergent instead. Choosing the cool setting on a clothes dryer is preferable if you can avoid line drying in the sun (again, this is better for the environment).

Is Bamboo Fabric Bad for the Environment?

The environment is unaffected by the cultivation of bash because it is a natural ingredient and grows naturally. That indicates that the fabric’s base material, bash, has no adverse effects on the environment. Bamboo fabrics are eco-friendly and have no adverse effects on the environment when this aspect is taken into account.

Although growing bamboo is a natural and environmentally friendly process, making viscose from bamboo is regarded as harmful.

Customers who use or wear bamboo cloth do not run the risk of being exposed to toxic chemicals, but cellulose, which is used to make rayon, is created from raw bamboo using a number of hazardous chemicals.

The process of making rayon from bash involves a substance known as carbon disulfide. A very dangerous chemical known as carbon disulfide can harm people in many different ways. Exposure can result in heart attack, mental illness, liver damage, and liver damage.

Furthermore, the lye used to turn bamboo into usable material is typically not recycled. The environment is negatively impacted and polluted.

Conclusion: Bamboo Fabric

Bamboo textiles, which are comparable to cotton in terms of sustainability, are used widely in the textile sector. Natural bamboo fabric that has undergone mechanical processing, bamboo viscose, and lyocell bamboo fabric are the three main types of bamboo fabrics.

Join the bamboo trend if you’re in the market for something new and want this guide to help you pick the most environmentally friendly products.

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