The Jute Process
History of the Jute plant
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was once classified with the family Tiliaceae, more recently with Malvaceae, and has now been reclassified as belonging to the family Sparrmanniaceae. “Jute” is the name of the plant or fiber that is used to make burlap, Hessian or gunny cloth.
Why use Jute?
Jute is one of the most affordable natural fibers and is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses of vegetable fibers. Jute fibers are composed primarily of the plant materials cellulose and lignin. It falls into the bast fiber category (fiber collected from bast or skin of the plant) along with kenaf, industrial hemp, flax (linen), ramie, etc. The industrial term for jute fiber is raw jute. The fibers are off-white to brown, and 1–4 metres (3–13 feet) long. Jute is also called “the golden fiber” for its color and high cash value.
Disclaimer: Information and facts provided on this page came from The Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jute
The Harvesting
Jute plants are about 15-20 cm tall.
Four months after planting, harvesting begins.
The stalks are cut off close to the ground. The stalks are tied into bundles and soaked in water for about 20 days. The fibers are then stripped from the stalks in long strands and washed in clear, running water. Then they are hung up or spread on thatched roofs to dry. After 2–3 days of drying, the fibers are tied into bundles.
Harvesting the Jute material
Harvesting the Jute material
The ideal climate for growing jute is warm and wet, which is offered by the monsoon climate during the fall season, immediately followed by summer.. Jute requires 2–3 inches of rainfall weekly with extra needed during the sowing period
Retting is the process of extracting fiber from the long lasting life stem or bast of the plants.
Retting the Jute material
Creation of Material
After harvesting, the jute stalks are tied into bundles and submerged in soft running water. The stalk stays submerged in water for 20 days.
In most cases, the fiber extraction process of bast fibers in water retting is done by the farmers while standing under water.
When the jute stalk is well retted, the stalk is grabbed in bundles and hit with a long wooden hammer to make the fiber loose from the jute core.
Cleaning the Jute material
Drying the Jute material
After loosing the fiber, the fiber is washed with water and squeezed for dehydration. The extracted fibers is further washed with fresh water and allowed to dry on bamboo poles.
Finally, they are tied into small bundles to be sold to manufacturers.
The Final Product
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