Chemically Texturizing Jute and Jute-Polypropylene Blended Yarns

Abstract

Both all-jute and jute-polypropylene blended yarns were chemically texturized by treating the yarns in 18% w/w sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature. As a result of chemical texturizing, both all-jute and jute-polypropylene blended yarns experienced increases in available air space and breaking elongation. Increase in available air space signified increase in bulk, while increase in breaking elongation signified increase in the stretch of the yams. Incorporation of polypropylene not only resulted in higher bulk and stretch of the texturized yarns but also facilitated its preferential migration to the surface of the yarns during texturizing. The bulk of the texturized jute-polypropylene blended yarn was even greater than that of all- wool yarn spun out of coarse Indian Chokla wool. But the breaking elongation of all-wool yarn was higher and the uniformity of its diameter was better than those of texturized jute-polypropylene yarn having a blend proportion, jute to polypro pylene, of 80 to 20. All-jute and jute-polypropylene blended yarns suffered appre ciable drops in tenacity when they were chemically texturized, but even then, the tenacities of these texturized yarns were greater than that of all-wool yarn. Moreover, wet/dry tenacity ratios of these texturized yarns were much superior to that of all- wool yarn.