New fibre from water lily can work in apparel
29/04/2009
The Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) may have come up with an exciting solution to difficulties some parts of the country are experiencing because of the over-abundance of water lilies.
The flowers are so plentiful on some lakes that they have become something of a problem for the fishing industry.
The institute has found a way to turn the plants into a fibre that could eventually make its way into the apparel supply chain.
The water lly produces coarse fibre with a high gum content, which makes it unsuitable for yarn production. However, the PTRI has developed a method of pre-treating the fibre so that it can be converted into spinning yarn. The institute's idea is to use the treated water lily fibre to produce spun yarns with either polyester or cotton blends.
It believes the developed yarns will be suitable for weaving into fabrics for apparel.
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