Investigation on structure and characteristics of alpaca‐based wet‐spun polyacrylonitrile composite fibers by utilizing natural textile waste

Abstract

The composite alpaca/acrylic fibers were auspiciously produced through a wet spinning technique to reduce the consumption of petroleum-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and to enhance the thermal stability and moisture properties of the fibers. The waste alpaca fibers were converted into powder using a mechanical milling method without applying any chemicals. Alpaca powders were then blended with the PAN dope solution in different weight ratios of alpaca: PAN (10:90, 20:80, and 30:70) to wet spin the composite fibers. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that all the composite fibers possess the functional groups of both alpaca and PAN. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed the presence of typical carbonyl carbon (C O) and nitrile carbon (C≡N) peaks of protein and PAN, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis revealed the enhanced thermal stability of alpaca/PAN composite fibers. The moisture properties of the composite fibers were subsequently found to increase with the incorporation of alpaca, more than three times that of pure PAN fibers. These results revealed a potential green pathway to producing composite acrylic fibers with improved thermal and moisture properties by applying textile waste materials.

How fashion can achieve sustainable development through a circular economy and stakeholder engagement: A systematic literature review

“…• Closing resource loops: this cluster includes CF practices implemented with an aim to keep materials in the economy, Closed-loop recycling, a process where unwanted resources and products are collected, recycled, and then used again to make the same product it came from, and thus to create a circular flow of resources • Recycling for manufacturing a same product type (e.g., recycling polyester fabrics to polyester yarn for the same fashion item production) 42 (44.7%) Al Faruque et al, 2019;Bloomfield & Borstrock, 2018;Bocken et al, 2017;Bukhari et al, 2018;Cattermole, 2018;Corvellec & Stål, 2019;Daddi et al, 2019;do Amaral et al, 2018;Earley, 2017;Earley, 2019;Fischer & Pascucci, 2017;Franco, 2017;Goldsworthy & Ellams, 2019;Haslinger et al, 2019;Holtström et al, 2019;Hu et al, 2018;Hussain, 2018;Hvass & Pedersen, 2019;Karell & Niinimäki, 2019;Koszewska, 2018;Leal Filho et al, 2019;Määttänen et al, 2019;…”

“…• Reducing fabric waste with more efficient cutting patterns 18 (19.1%) Al Faruque et al, 2019;Bloomfield & Borstrock, 2018;Earley, 2017;Fraga et al, 2018;Haslinger et al, 2019;Holtström et al, 2019;Hussain, 2018;Khan & Rundle-Thiele, 2019;Koszewska, 2018;Moorhouse & Moorhouse, 2017;Pal et al, 2019;Pessôa et al, 2019;Raebild & Bang, 2017;Smith et al, 2017;Todeschini et al, 2017;Tunn et al, 2019;Valentine et al, 2017 Total 94 (100%)…”

Impact of the wet spinning parameters on the alpaca‐based polyacrylonitrile composite fibers: Morphology and enhanced mechanical properties study

“…[11] Since the 1930s, this process is commercially applied in the textile industry for the production of fibers in a large scale. [19,25,26] To execute the wet spinning, generally, a spinning solution or dope solution (dissolved polymer) is extruded through the spinneret into the coagulation bath. [19] The coagulation bath may comprise only a nonsolvent (water) or a mixture of solvent and nonsolvent.…”

Plant-Based Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites: A Review on Fabrication, Properties and Applications

“…After energy production, which contributes greatly to carbon emissions, the textile and fashion industry is considered the second most polluting industry due to generating huge amounts of wastewater, and tonnes of textile waste that is directly buried in landfills or incinerated [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. In the textile industry, production of fibres plays a major role, where fibres are classified as synthetic or man-made fibres and natural fibres.…”

“…On the other hand, natural fibres are fabricated from natural resources such as plants and animals, which are easily available, biodegradable, biocompatible and renewable [5,[9][10][11]. The textile fibres are currently not only used in the traditional clothing and fashion industry but in the other industries or sectors, such as automobile, aircraft, marine, sports, and agriculture industries [1,2,12]. To satisfy these various application areas, the global production and use of synthetic fibres is significantly greater than that of natural fibres, with the view that the physicochemical properties of synthetic fibres can be modified based on the final application and the product's end-use requirement [5,13].…”