Development of a biotechnological process for the production of high quality linen fibers

Journal
Bioprocess and biosystems engineering  
Volume
34
Issue
8
Start Page
913
End Page
921
Citation
Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering 34 (8): 913-921 (2011)
Publisher DOI
10.1007/s00449-011-0542-y
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-80054047851
PubMed ID
21487698
Publisher
Springer
A novel biotechnological process for the production of high-quality flax fibers was developed. In this process, decorticated fibers from green flax were washed with 0.5% soda solution and treated with the pectinolytic strain Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius PB94A. Before drying the fibers, they were treated with the textile softener Adulcinol BUN. If the fibers contained contaminant shives, a bleaching step with hydrogen peroxide was performed before the softener treatment. In experiments where fibers were treated by the new process, and in which the bacterial solutions were reused seven times, the fiber quality was similar in all batches. The resolution of the treated fibers was 2.7 ± 0.4 and the fineness was 11.1 ± 1.1 dtex, while the starting material had a resolution of 7.3 and a fineness of 37 dtex. The new biotechnological treatment eliminates the weather-associated risks of the traditional fiber retting completely and produces consistently high-quality fibers that can be used to produce fine linen yarns. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.
Subjects
Alkaliphilic
Flax
Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius
Pectinases
Retting
Textiles
DDC Class
570: Biowissenschaften, Biologie