Textile and Apparel Science

Cotton Versus Bacterial Cellulose: A Comparison of Single Ply Yarns

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Abstract

Cotton contains a relatively low amount of impurities, being 90 to 95% cellulose. Cotton requires large amounts of water, pesticides and land to produce. Bacterial cellulose (BC) requires little land, no pesticides and less water to produce. This material typically grows as a nonwoven fiber mat which restricts use for apparel products. This research investigated the properties of the material once twisted into yarns in comparison to cotton. Pure BC was grown using Hestrin Schramm Mannitol media. After processing, half of the BC samples had twist added manually and half were dried flat. These samples were compared to mercerized and un-mercerized cotton yarns. Most BC yarns outperformed cotton yarns in breaking strength and extension. However, when accounting for yarn tex, many BC samples failed to outperform cotton in terms of tenacity. Strength suffered when the BC was twisted into yarns. However, elongation was superior to cotton in most sample groups.

Keywords: Bacterial Cellulose, Yarns

How to Cite:

Harmon, J., (2019) “Cotton Versus Bacterial Cellulose: A Comparison of Single Ply Yarns”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8789