Cutting edge R&D on cotton nonwovens at Texas Tech
Sep 14, 2010
Fibre2Fashion - The Texas Tech’s Institute of Environmental and Human Health is into groundbreaking research on finding applications and new uses of cotton nonwovens. This initiative of Dr Ramkumar Seshadri, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH), is being supported by funding from the Texas Department of Agriculture and the cotton industry. To know more about the cotton nonwovens project, the funding it receives and the applications of research, Fibre2fashion spoke exclusively with Dr Seshadri. When asked about the cotton nonwoven project he said, “The Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at The Institute of Environmental & human Health at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA is focused on finding new and valued added applications for cotton. “We focus on understanding the comfort of cotton at fiber level. We use needlepunching and ancillary nonwoven processes to develop cotton nonwovens that find applications in defense, homeland security, oil spill situations, etc. Recent research has shown that cotton is superior in absorbing oil against commercial spunbond fabrics”. When asked to divulge about the funding received for the project, he informed by saying, “The laboratory receives continuous funding from the US Department of Defense. Many cotton related agencies such as the Texas Department of Agriculture through its Food and Fiber Research Program, Texas State Support Program of Cotton Incorporated, USA, Cotton Foundation, USA, Lubbock based The CH Foundation, TTU's College of Agricultural & Natural Resources, Plains Cotton Growers of Lubbock support the ongoing research by funding projects and providing support”. We next quizzed him about the applications and target consumer segment of the various applications either under research or which have been developed, he said, “Our cotton research program is broad based and aims to develop products that have applications in defense, domestic and industrial markets. The R & D from our laboratory has resulted in technology transfer and a nonwoven wipe with defense applications known as Fibertect is already finding applications in defense and homeland security sectors”, he concluded by saying.
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