Bleaching and shive reduction for non-wood fibers
AssigneeGPCP IP Holdings LLC
InventorsJeffrey A. Lee, Alan Edward Wright
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method of increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers and nonwoven fabric fabrics produced by the method. In one aspect, the method includes forming a mixture of non-wood fibers and exposing the mixture to a brightening agent to produce brightened fibers. The brightening agent is oxygen gas, peracetic acid, a peroxide compound, or a combination thereof. The brightened fibers have a brightness greater than the fibers of the mixture before exposure as measured by MacBeth UV-C standard.
Claims26
An article, comprising:
- brightened bast fibers with a mean length of about 5 to about 95 millimeters (mm) and a brightness greater than or equal to 80 as measured by a TAPPI standard;
- wherein the article is a yarn, a thread, a rope, a cord, or a sliver.
A fabric, comprising:
- brightened bast fibers with a mean length of about 5 to about 95 millimeters (mm) a brightness greater than or equal to 80 as measured by a TAPPI standard;
- wherein the fabric is a woven fabric or a knit fabric.
The fabric of claim 6, wherein the fabric comprises a yarn, a thread, a rope, or a combination thereof.
The fabric of claim 10, wherein the natural fibers are cotton fibers.
The fabric of claim 10, wherein the polymeric fibers are polyester fibers.
An article, comprising:
- brightened bast fibers having a mean length of about 5 to about 95 millimeters (mm) and a brightness greater than or equal to 80 as measured by a TAPPI standard;
- wherein the article is an article of clothing or a home furnishing.
The article of claim 15, wherein the article of clothing is a shirt, a blouse, a sweater, a sweatshirt, a top, pants, trousers, a tank top, a leotard, a sport specific clothing, a sock, an undergarment, a hat, a belt, a jacket, a coat, a vest, a glove, a dress, a skirt, a scarf, a bib, an apron, footware, or a combination thereof.
The article of claim 15, wherein the home furnishing is a drapery, a sheet, a blanket, a throw, a comforter, a bedspread, a washcloth, a towel, a wall covering, a chair covering, a sofa covering, a furniture upholstery, a seat cover, a table cloth, a cushion covering, a pillow covering, or a combination thereof.
The fabric of claim 20, wherein the natural fibers are cotton fibers.
The fabric of claim 20, wherein the polymeric fibers are polyester fibers.
A composite material comprising:
- brightened bast fibers having a mean length of about 5 to about 95 millimeters (mm) and a brightness greater than or equal to 80 as measured by TAPPI standard;
- and
- a matrix material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.