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Fiber crops are field crops grown for theirfibers, which are traditionally used to makepaper, cloth, or rope.[1]Fiber crops are characterized by having a large concentration ofcellulose, which is what gives them theirstrength. The fibers may be chemically modified, like inviscose (used to makerayon andcellophane). In recent years,materials scientists have begun exploring further use of these fibers incomposite materials. Due to cellulose being the main factor of a plant fiber's strength, this is what scientists are looking to manipulate to create different types of fibers.
Fiber crops are generally harvestable after a single growing season, as distinct fromtrees, which are typically grown for many years before being harvested for such materials aswood pulp fiber orlacebark. In specific circumstances, fiber crops can be superior to wood pulp fiber in terms of technical performance,environmental impact or cost.[2]
There are a number of issues regarding the use of fiber crops to make pulp.[3] One of these is seasonal availability. While trees can be harvested continuously, many field crops are harvested once during the year and must be stored such that the crop doesn't rot over a period of many months. Considering that many pulp mills require several thousand tonnes of fiber source per day, storage of the fiber source can be a major issue.
Botanically, the fibers harvested from many of these plants arebast fibers; the fibers come from thephloem tissue of the plant. The other fiber crop fibers are hard/leaf fibers (from the entirety of plant vascular bundles) and surface fibers (from plant epidermal tissue).[1]
To have a source of fiber to utilize in production, the fiber first must be extracted from the plant. This is done in different ways depending on the fiber classification. Bast fibers are harvested throughretting which is where microbes are utilized to remove soft tissues from the plant and only the useful fibrous material remains. Hard fibers are harvested mainly throughdecortication which is where the non-fibrous tissues are removed by hand or machine. Lastly, surface fibers are harvested throughginning which is where a machine removes the fibers from other plant material.[citation needed]
Before the industrialisation of paper production the most common fiber source was recycled fibers from used textiles, called rags. The rags were fromramie,hemp,linen andcotton.[4] A process for removing printing inks fromrecycled paper was invented by German juristJustus Claproth in 1774.[4] Today this method is calleddeinking. It was not until the introduction ofwood pulp in 1843 that paper production was not dependent on recycled materials fromragpickers.[4]
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