Jute is the second most important
vegetable fibre after cotton; not only for cultivation, but also for various
uses. Jute is used chiefly to make cloth for wrapping bales of raw cotton, and
to make sacks and coarse cloth. The fibers are also woven into curtains, chair
coverings, carpets, area rugs, Hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum. White jute is being replaced by
synthetic materials in many of these uses, some uses take advantage of jute’s
biodegradable nature, where synthetics would be unsuitable. Examples of such
uses include containers for planting young trees which can be planted directly
with container without disturbing the roots, and land restoration where jute
cloth prevents erosion occurring while natural vegetation becomes established.
The fibers are used alone or blended
with other types of fibers to make twine and rope. Jute butts, the coarse ends
of the plants, are used to make inexpensive cloth. Conversely, very fine
threads of jute can be separated out and made into imitation silk. As jute fibers
are also being used to make pulp and paper, and with increasing concern over
forest destruction for the wood pulp used to make most paper. Jute has a long
history of use in the sackings, carpets, wrapping fabrics (cotton bale), and
construction fabric manufacturing industry.
Traditionally jute was used in
traditional textile machineries as tensile fibers having cellulose (vegetable
fibre content) and lignin (wood fiber content). But, the major breakthrough
came when the automobile, pulp and paper, and the furniture and bedding
industries started to use jute and its allied fibers with their non-woven and
composite technology to manufacture nonwovens, technical textiles and
composites. Therefore, jute has changed its textile fiber outlook and steadily
heading towards its newer identity, i.e. wood fiber. As a textile fibre, jute
has reached its peak from where there is no hope of progress, but as a wood fiber
jute has many promising features.
Jute can be used to create a number
of fabrics such as Hessian cloth, sacking, scrim, carpet backing cloth (CBC),
and canvas, Hessian, lighter than sacking, is used for bags, wrappers,
wall-coverings, upholstery, and home furnishings. Diversified jute products are becoming more and more
valuable to the consumer today. Among these are espadrilles, floor coverings,
home textiles, high performance technical textiles, Geotextiles composites, and
more.
Jute
has many advantages as a home textile, either replacing cotton or blending with
it. It is a strong, durable, color and light-fast fibre. Its ultra violent (UV)
protection, sound and heat insulation, low thermal conduction and anti-static
properties make it a wise choice in home decoration.
Also, fabrics made of jute fibers are
carbon-dioxide neutral and naturally decomposable. These properties are also
why jute can be used in high performance technical textiles.
Jute is also used in the making of
ghillie suits which are used as camouflage and resemble grasses or brush.
Another diversified jute product is
Geotextiles, which made this agricultural commodity more popular in the
agricultural sector. It is a lightly woven fabric made from natural fibers that
is used for soil erosion control, seed protection, weed control, and many other
agricultural and landscaping uses. The Geotextiles can be used more than a year
and the bio-degradable jute Geotextile left to rot on the ground keeps the
ground cool and is able to make the land more fertile.
Moreover, Jute is the major crop among
others that is able to protect deforestation by industrialization.
Thus, jute is the most
environment-friendly fibre starting from the seed to expired fiber, as the
expired fibers can be recycled more than once. Jute is also known to be used in
creating purses, shoes and shopping bags.