EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES OF FABRICS CONTAINING RECYCLED COTTON FIBRE

Abstract

Recycling and reusing of textile waste as a resource can be an important opportunity to reduce environmental pollution and make a great contribution to sustainable development of society. Recycling cotton waste makes it low-priced and high return value. This way it can be easily industrialized and commercialized to extend the life cycle of cellulose resources. The aim of this research was to investigate the performance properties of fabrics made from recycled cotton and virgin polyester blends. The fabrics were knitted using different knitting constructions while keeping the yarn count and fabric content constant. The study focused on evaluating the pilling and elasticity properties of the fabrics and the effect of knit structure on these properties. Especially pilling is one of the performance characteristics that fabric manufacturers receive feedback from their customers and as it is stated in the literature, it should be improved. The results showed that knitting type had a significant impact on pilling and elasticity values. It was observed that the napping process negatively affected the pilling property as it caused mechanical deformation in the fabric. The findings of this research can help manufacturers and designers to select the appropriate knitting construction to achieve the desired performance properties in fabrics made from recycled cotton and virgin polyester blends. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to promote sustainable practices in the textile industry.

Keywords

• recycled cotton
• pilling
• elasticity
• recycling
• sustainability.