Cellulose fiber

Description

A class of natural fibers obtained from plants. Cellulose fibers have been used since ancient times for making clothing, ropes, thread, and paper.

Cellulose fibers are obtained from:

- seed hairs: cotton, kapok, coir,

- leaves: abaca, agave, henequen, sisal, istle, banana

- stems: flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, ramie, straw, bamboo, grass

- trees: hardwood, softwood, bark

Synonyms and Related Terms

natural fiber; plant fibers; vegetable fibers; fibras de celulosa (Esp.); cellulose vezel (Ned);

Other Properties

Approximate cellulose content: cotton (98%); ramie (86%); hemp (65%); jute (58%); deciduous woods (41-42%); confierous woods (41-44%); cornstalks (43%); wheat straw (42%).

Comparisons

Properties of Natural Fibers

Authority

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• The Dictionary of Paper, American Paper Institute, New York, Fourth Edition, 1980

• E.J.LaBarre, Dictionary and Encyclopedia of Paper and Paper-making, Swets & Zeitlinger, Amsterdam, 1969

• Bernard Toale, The Art of Papermaking, Davis Publications, Portland OR, 1983

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_fiber (Accessed Jan. 15, 2006)