Method of enzymatic processing of plant biomass to produce textile grade fiber

Abstract

The current invention discloses an enzyme-based method for making high quality textile fibres from plant derived biomass. The invention discloses a method for production of high-quality textile grade fibres that have no loss in quality parameters as compared to textile grade fibres made from cellulosic biomass by conventional methods that use harsh chemical treatments. The fibres produced by this method from raw natural fibres can be spun into yarn by automated procedures and the yarn can be woven into high quality fabrics by powerloom as well as handloom.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of converting raw natural fibres to textile grade fibres, the method comprising the step of enzymatically treating raw natural fibres obtained from plant derived biomass to convert them to textile grade fibres, wherein the textile grade fibre is not more than 75 denier per filament and breaking strength is at least 50 g. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plant derived biomass comprises of plants selected from group consisting of banana, hemp, nettle, flex, jute, and remi. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the total enzyme concentration in fibre treatment container is 0.5-1%. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymatic treatment is done for 2 to 4 hours. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes used for the step of enzymatic treatment of raw natural fibres are selected from the group consisting of cellulase, pectinase, hemicellulase, lignase, esterase, amylase, and peroxidase. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein it comprises alkaline protease treatment of the raw natural fibres before the step of enzymatic treatment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the alkaline protease is present in the fibre treatment container at the concentration of 0.1-0.3%. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method does not comprise any chemical treatment step. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein it further comprises the step of bleaching after the enzymatic treatment. 
     
     
         10 . The textile grade fibres produced from method of  claim 1 , wherein the fibres are spinnable into yarn by automated process. 
     
     
         11 . The textile grade fibres of  claim 10 , wherein the yarn produced from the fibres is woven or knitted. 
     
     
         12 . The textile grade fibres from  claim 10 , wherein the yarn is woven into fabrics by powerloom or handloom. 
     
     
         13 . The textile grade fibres derived from method of  claim 1 , wherein they are blended with other man-made or natural fibres and spun to create yarn of at least 20 count.