Product Development Using Cornhusk Fibres—A Sustainable Initiative

Textile industry is striving hard to adopt sustainable practices for various aspects of production like consumption of water and electricity, new sustainable raw materials, new technologies, use of natural or non- hazardous chemical agents for wet processing and better working conditions for labour. Development of new fibres from alternative sources is gaining momentum and various agro-wastes have been explored for use in textiles. Cornhusk fibre is an addition to the same. Fibres were extracted from the husk of corn by applying chemical and enzyme treatment. The cornhusk fibres were comparable to fibres from other bast or leaf fibres. A range of products comprising of yarn, fabric, rope, hand-made mats and hygiene products were developed. Cornhusk fibres were blended with coir fibres to compensate for their lower strength. Since both the fibres had similar texture, blending could be carried out easily. The cornhusk/coir (50/50) blended yarns had similar appearance as 100% coir yarn but lower strength and elongation at break. Hence it was used for making products like mats where strength is not the primary requirement. The rope made using cornhusk blended yarn could also be used for some low end applications. The different types of mats like hand woven, sinnet and corridor mats prepared using cornhusk blended yarn were softer in feel and similar in appearance to the mats made by using 100% coir fibres. Utilization of a waste like cornhusk to manufacture home furnishings would mean conservation of resources like land and water as cornhusk is a by-product of a food crop, maize.