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Effectiveness of Environmentally Friendly Retting Techniques on Industrial Hemp

Authors
  • Kaitlyn Jo Engle (Washington State University)
  • Wangcheng Liu (Washington State University)
  • Hang Liu (Washington State University)

Abstract

With the passage of the federal 2014 Farm Bill, which allows state department of agriculture and land grant universities conduct industrial hemp related research, more than 20 states around the U.S. have passed legislation regarding this. Interests have been growing from various stakeholders in understanding more about the planting and applications of industrial hemp. Due to the lack of research on fiber extraction processes that separate fibers from binding material in the stem and produce fibers with high cellulose content, hemp fibers have not been utilized in apparel industry as widely as other natural cellulose fibers. In this study, three environmentally friendly retting techniques on industrial hemp fibers were investigated for their effectiveness. They were enzyme, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and enzyme/EDTA combination. Treated hemp fibers were evaluated by weight, chemical composition, thermal properties, and surface morphology.

How to Cite:

Engle, K., Liu, W. & Liu, H., (2017) “Effectiveness of Environmentally Friendly Retting Techniques on Industrial Hemp”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 74(1).

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Published on
2017-01-01

Peer Reviewed