Popular Science | Pineapples are not only edible, but can also be a luxury item?

It's the season for pineapples again. Pineapples are sweet and sour and delicious. Not only can they be eaten, but the leaves that are discarded by people are also very useful, and can even be made into luxury goods. Did you know? It's the season for pineapples again. Pineapples are sweet and sour and delicious. Not only can they be eaten, but the leaves that are discarded by people are also very useful, and can even be made into luxury goods. Did you know?

Handbag?

Leather seats?

Do you think these are leather products? You are wrong! These are made of pineapple leaf fibers, 100% plant ingredients, you would never guess.

Pineapple fiber, also known as pineapple leaf fiber or pineapple hemp, is a type of hemp fiber extracted from pineapple leaves.

Pineapple fiber is composed of many fiber bundles tightly combined, and each fiber bundle is composed of 10 to 20 single fiber cells. The fiber surface is rough, with longitudinal gaps and holes, transverse branches, and no natural twist. The single fiber cell is cylindrical, with pointed ends, smooth surface, and a linear middle cavity. Pineapple fiber looks white, feels soft and smooth, just like silk, so it is also known as pineapple silk.

So what are the characteristics of pineapple fiber fabric?

1. Pineapple fiber can be blended with other natural fibers.

2. Pineapple fiber fabric is easy to color and has high color fastness.

3. Pineapple fiber fabric is sweat-absorbent and breathable, making it especially suitable for summer wear.

4. Pineapple fiber is tougher than traditional cotton fiber, so pineapple fiber fabric is relatively stiff.

Chemical composition of pineapple fiber

The chemical composition of pineapple fiber is similar to that of flax and jute, but the cellulose content is lower, and the hemicellulose and lignin content is higher. Therefore, pineapple fiber is coarse and hard, has low elongation, poor elasticity, and absorbs and releases moisture quickly. The fiber has a high content of fat wax, so it has a better luster. The spinnability of pineapple fiber is better than jute but worse than flax. Appropriate degumming treatment before spinning can improve the spinnability.

Physical and mechanical properties of pineapple fiber

The single fiber length of pineapple fiber is relatively short, and the spinning process uses technical fiber (referring to the bundle fiber with a certain fineness and length that meets the spinning requirements after degumming and combing). The strength and breaking elongation of pineapple technical fiber are between flax and jute, and its yarn quality is better than jute but inferior to flax.

The preparation of pineapple fiber is as follows:

The first step is to peel the pineapple leaves.

The second step is to wash and dry.

The third step is to carry out degumming and other processing to extract pineapple fibers, which can be used to make various non-woven fabrics.

Finally, the pineapple fiber can be spun on cotton spinning equipment, wool spinning equipment, flax and jute spinning equipment after appropriate chemical treatment. It can be used to make various products.

Pineapple fiber is the fifth generation of natural fiber after cotton, wool, silk and bast fiber. Its development and utilization has attracted great attention from the world textile industry, and its fiber fabrics are gradually gaining popularity. Especially now that the public has a strong awareness of environmental protection, naturally degradable plant fiber products are increasingly popular among consumers, and the application of pineapple fiber will increase in the future.