PLANT

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to cellulosic textile fibers. More specifically it pertains to textile fiber extracted from stem of Cayratia trifolia L. plant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Textile industry is one the oldest and rapidly growing industry in India and worldwide. In terms of Fiber production, the textile industries deals with preparation of two broad types of fibers i.e., synthetic/Man-made fiber and Natural Plant and animal based fibers. (https://www.ibef.org/industry/textiles.aspx)

Natural and synthetic fibers:

Natural fibers are made up of plants such as cotton, hemp, jute etc., or animal skin such as wool from sheep, silk from silkworm etc., whereas synthetic fiber or man-made fibers are entirely made from various chemicals. Some of the synthetic fibers are polyester, poly-amide, nylon, rayon etc. According to www.statista.com, textile industries in 2020, lead to the production of 62% synthetic fiber, 24% cotton fiber and 5.9% man-made cellulosic fiber. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250812/global-fiber-pr oduction-share-type/)

Despite of having high production rate, synthetic fibers possesses certain drawbacks as follows:

Use of Toxic chemicals: Preparation of synthetic fibers involve utilization of lots of toxic chemicals, which when released to the environment or water bodies, tend to cause environmental pollution. Moreover the chemicals used for preparation of synthetic fiber may harm the skin of the manufacturers and customers and results in skin allergies, hence are not suitable. Non-biodegradable: As synthetic fibers are made up of various chemicals such as polyester, polyamide etc., hence these are non-biodegradable and become a major cause of environmental pollution when discarded.

Costly and energy intensive: Preparation of synthetic fibers require a lot of water and energy, moreover the chemicals which are used for preparation synthetic fibers are quite costly, hence the overall process of synthetic fiber preparation is costly, energy intensive and is not eco-friendly.

Due to numerous disadvantages of synthetic fibers, demand for natural plant based textile fiber is increasing as natural fibers are eco-friendly, biodegradable and does not involve utilization of costly and toxic chemicals.

Existing Natural plant based fibers to overcome the drawbacks of synthetic fibers:

The natural fibers are as below:

Cotton fiber- Cotton fiber is most used textile fiber worldwide. Cotton fiber comprises of high cellulose content i.e., about 80-90% and is widely used for manufacturing of clothes and other textile materials. But the cultivation, maintenance and harvesting of cotton crop is quite complex and cost intensive. Cotton cultivation requires a massive amount of water and proper maintenance throughout its growth. As the cotton plant is quite delicate, hence manual harvesting is most suitable for cotton crop, which require high man power and proper maintenance. Moreover, cotton plant is prone to certain insects and pests, hence require the use of pesticides which causes environmental pollution and make the overall cultivation costly.

Other fibers such as Hemp, Jute, kenaf, coconut, Pineapple etc. are also used for manufacturing of natural textile fiber but the cellulosic content of these types of fibers is quite low when compared to cotton fiber.

Bamboo fiber has a good cellulose content, but the extraction of fiber from bamboo is quite complex process and require lots of efforts and use of certain harmful detergents and harsh chemicals for the extraction of fiber. Problem solved by the present invention

Present invention overcomes the drawbacks of synthetic and natural fibers. As in present invention, inventor came with an approach of utilizing the plant Cayratia trifolia L. for extraction of fiber.

Cayratia trifolia L.- Cayratia trifolia L. also known as Vitis trifolia, fox grape, Amlabel etc. is a perennial climber with trifoliated leaves belonging to Vitaceae family. It is native to India, Asia and Australia and in India it is commonly found in Jammu, Rajasthan and Assam. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3263053/)

Cayratia trifolia L. is quite easy to cultivate as it does not require high amount of water or high amount of pesticides for its growth and development. Moreover the maintenance and harvesting is quite simple and cost Effective. Hence overall cultivation, maintenance and harvesting is quite simple, low cost and eco-friendly.

It possesses certain medicinal properties such as antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anticancer properties, neuro-protective effects, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-diabetic properties, hence is widely used in medicinal field.

It is also used in the textile industry for dyeing purposes because the berries of this plant helps in imparting dark bluish purple colour to the textile products. But none of the prior art studies discloses the utilization of this plant for preparation of textile fiber.

Advantages offered by present invention i. Highly Biodegradable: The present invention involve use of natural plant material for preparation of natural textile fiber, hence the resulting product will be bio-degradable and will not cause any harmful impacts on the environment. ii. Overcomes the problem of harmful chemicals- The process used for extraction of natural textile fiber does not involve utilization of any harmful chemicals or harsh detergents. The process used is simple water retting process, which is cost effective and free from chemicals. iii. Easy cultivation and harvesting: The Cayratia trifolia L. plant used in present invention is quite easy to cultivate as it does not require special conditions such as excessive amount of water, specialized soil type etc., moreover the overall maintenance and harvesting is also quite easy and cost effective.

PRIOR ART PATENTS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS

Patent Application no. CN102061633A discloses “Method for dyeing protein fiber and fabric thereof with natural dye extracted from grape seeds”

The above invention relates to a method for dyeing with dye extracted from a grape beverage and grape seeds as a waste resource in wine industry processing, utilizing grape seed pigment solution to dye protein fiber fabrics such as wool, silks and the like with a directly dyeing method or an aluminum ion and iron ion pre-mordant dyeing method.

The present invention is different from the above cited invention as in the present invention, the above invention relates to the dyeing method of fabric and protein fibres with natural dye extracted from grape seeds whereas in the present invention fiber is extracted from Cayratia trifolia plant.

Patent Application No. CN103966687A discloses “A kind of dust proof and anti- pollution plant fibers fabric and preparation method thereof’

The above cited invention relates to a method of preparation of dust proof anti -pollution plant fiber fabric. The raw material comprising of coconut fiber, corn fiber, kapok, grape seed oil, plastic starch, l-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. After the process the spun fibers are washed, bleached, oiled, dried and woven into fabrics. The present invention is different from the above cited invention as in the present invention fibres are extracted from Cayratia trifolia L. plant and utilizing the fibres in textile industry. The fibres are extracted by water tank retting process. Hence, the present invention is different from the above cited invention. The raw material used in present invention differs from those being utilized in above cited patent.

Patent Application No. US995561A discloses “Method of producing textile fibres from flax, hemp, and the like.”

The above cited invention relates to a method of production of textile fibres from flax, hemp and the similar plants. The process comprising of the following steps: freeing the stalks from leaves and seeds, highly drying the freed stalks, disintegrating the dried bark to loosen it from the stalk and permit the separation of the dried gum and resin therefrom, reducing the stalk to a carded product, cutting the product into small pieces, cleaning and combing the small pieces and subjecting the cut product, during the cleaning and combing, to an air blast to remove the very short particles.

The present invention is different from the above cited invention the above cited invention and the present invention comprises of different raw materials. The above cited invention utilizes production of textile fibres extracted from flax and hemp plant whereas in the present invention raw material is Cayratia trifolia I.

Indian Patent Application No. 2588/CHE/2007 discloses “Vztzs Vinifera plant extract and uses thereof’

The above cited invention pertains to nutritional or pharmaceutical compositions comprising extracts or concentrates of plants and the mixtures thereof belonging to Vitis sp. With specific reference to Vitis vinifera. Moreover, the above cited invention relates to the use of the extracts as a supplement or medicament useful in the treatment or prevention of cardiovascular diseases. . The present invention is different from the above cited invention. In the above cited invention medicaments are prepared from the plant extracts of Vitis vinifera to treat or prevent cardiovascular diseases whereas in the present invention textile fiber is extracted from the Vitis trifolia.

Patent application no. WO2015039243A1 discloses “Textile fibers and textiles from brassica plants”

The above cited invention relates to the production of textile fibers from brassica plant. The method comprising of : retting of Brassica plant material to produce plant fiber; and treating the plant fiber to any one or a combination of treatments selected from the group consisting of enzyme treating, scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and softening. The said textile fabric is non-woven fabric with length variation of less than 3mm.

The present invention is different from the above cited invention. In the above cited invention raw material is brassica plant, fiber length is less than 3mm, and utilizing combinations of retting process whereas in the present invention raw material is Cayratia trifolia L. plant, fiber length 3-10 cm and utilizing water tank retting.

Journals and Publications

Padma S Vankar* and Rakhi Shanker: Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India: Dyeing cotton, silk and wool with Cayratia carnosa Gagn.or Vitis trifolia, January 2006, Asian Textile Journal 15(10):38-45.

The above cited paper relates to a study or work which utilizes fruits of Cayratia carnosa Gagn. or Vitis trifolia plant for dyeing cotton, silk and wool fabric. This dye can be used for dyeing in various shades of blue-dark blue and purple shades for cotton, silk and wool. The findings of color fastness tests of all the samples to rubbing under dry conditions showed that the samples had fair to excellent fastness as compared to dry rubbing. Cayratia shows good prospects for textile dyeing. The present invention is different from the above cited invention as in the present invention textile fiber is extracted from Cayratia trifolia L. plant and utilizing the textile fiber in textile industry.

Sundaram Sowmya , Palanisamy Chella Perumal etal: 1-Pentacosanol Isolated from Stem Ethanolic Extract of Cayratia trifolia (L.) is A Potential Target for Prostate Cancer-In SILICO Approach: Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences: Volume 14, Number 2, June-2021 Pages 359 - 365.

The above cited study relates to isolation and characterization of the structure and functions bioactive compound from ethanolic extract of stem parts of Cayratia trifolia (L.) against prostate cancer targets such as PTEN, AKT, SMO and E2F3 by in silico approach. The methanolic extract is more effective than aqueous extract of Cayratia trifolia were found to be defending against oesophageal cancer in rodents.

The present invention is different from the above cited invention as in the present invention a textile fiber is extracted from the stem of plant Cayratia trifolia (L.) and utilizing the fiber in textile industry. The fiber length is about 3 -10cm with silk like appearance. Hence, the present invention is different from the above cited invention. The above invention utilizing Cayratia trifolia ethanolic stem extract against prostate cancer targets whereas in the present invention textile fiber is extracted from Cayratia plant.

Obada Nayef Al-leimon, Ahmad Nayef Al-leimon; Fibers from grape leaves: thermo- gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analysis: IJHSR, 2019 Terra Science and Education DOI: 10.36838/vli2.2. The above cited study reveals the method of preparation of fibres similar to cotton fibres from dry grape leaves through simple and cheap procedure. The steps comprises of: procuring approximately 200 g of dry grape leaves and using an electrical grinder. The ground grape leaf biomass was then sieved using a soft strainer to separate the fibres from the rest of biomass. A total of 100 mL sodium hypochlorite (6% - 6.25%) were added to the fibres prepared from the dry grape leaves. The fibres were washed two times with 200 mL water to remove the sodium hypochlorite. Finally, samples of the washed cotton fibres prepared from the grape leaves were subjected to thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC).

The above cited study is different from the present invention as in the present invention the fiber is extracted from the Cayratia trifolia/ Vitis trifolia plant and utilizing the textile fiber in textile industry with simple and cheap procedure of water tank retting. In the above cited invention fiber is prepared from the dry grape leaves biomass whereas in the present invention fibres are extracted from the Vitis trifolia plant.

From above cited prior art patents and journals, it is clear that present invention s novel and is not disclosed anywhere.

OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to disclose textile fiber extracted from stem of Cayratia trifolia L. plant.

Another object of present invention is to disclose Cayratia trifolia L. possessing higher strength of 765 Mpa and approximate length of 3 to 20 cm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a textile fiber extracted from stem of Cayratia trifolia L. plant. The method of extraction of fiber comprises of certain steps such as procurement of Cayratia trifolia L. plant, harvesting and pre-treatment, water retting or degumming of fiber binding material, separation and drying of fiber and finally the physical characterization of obtained fiber. Cayratia trifolia L. is quite easy to cultivate as it does not require high amount of water or high amount of pesticides for its growth and development. Moreover the maintenance and harvesting is quite simple and cost effective. Hence the cultivation, maintenance and harvesting is quite simple, low cost and eco- friendly. Hence overcome the drawbacks of already existing natural as well as synthetic fibers.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig 1: Cayratia trifolia L. fiber

Fig 2 (a), (b) and (c): SEM images showing cross sectional view of Cayratia trifolia L. fiber

Fig 3 (a), (b) and (c): SEM images showing longitudinal view of Cayratia trifolia L. fiber

Fig 4: Microscopic view of Cayratia trifolia L. fiber

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses an innovative approach of utilizing Cayratia trifolia L. plant stem for extraction of natural cellulosic fiber. Cayratia trifolia L. is quite easy to cultivate as it does not require high amount of water or high amount of pesticides for its growth and development. Moreover the maintenance and harvesting is quite simple and cost Effective. The process used in present invention comprises of water retting for extraction of fiber and does not involve use of harsh chemicals hence is eco-friendly and cost effective.

Method of preparation

Stepwise method of extraction is as follows:

Procurement of raw material: Wildly cultivated Cayratia trifolia L. plants were procured from Varanasi, U.P, INDIA. Harvesting and pre-treatment: The stems of the Cayratia trifolia L. plants are harvested manually and washed properly to remove the dirt particles. Further the stems are divided into small parts and are collected together.

Tank Retting/Water retting: Water retting is a widely used technique for extraction and separation of fibers from harvested stem of the plant by immersing the stems of plant in tank full of water. Water or chemical based retting helps in degumming of the material which binds the fiber, hence releases the fiber from the stem of the plant

In present invention also water retting process is used. The Cayratia Trifolia L. stems are immersed in water tank for 5 days for degumming of the fiber binding material. Further, all the immersed stems are regularly checked after several intervals such as after 2 days, 4 days and 6 days. After retting, the stems are removed from water tanks.

Separation and drying of fiber: In this step all the stems are removed from the water and the fiber is separated from the outer stem layer with the help of hands. The separated fiber is further dried under the normal sunlight.

Microscopic examination of Cayratia trifolia L fibre-

The extracted fiber is examined under simple microscope, which reveals rod like shape of extracted fiber as depicted in figure 4 of present invention. Further, The fibers are also observed/examined under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyse the longitudinal as well as cross sectional view of extracted fibers, which reveals the hollow structure of the extracted fibers and same is depicted in figure 2 (a,b,c) and figure 3(a,b,c).

Chemical composition of Cayratia trifolia L fibre-

The fibre obtained from Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre was further analyzed for chemical composition. Chemical characterization of extracted fiber involves determination of cellulosic content, hemicellulosic content, lignin and pectin content and other oil, wax and ash content. It was observed that the cellulosic content of Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre is more as compared to other existing natural fibres obtained from Coir and coconut etc. The Jute, Pineapple, Datura stramonium and abaca fibres possesses almost equal cellulosic content as that of Cayratia Trifolia L fiber. Moreover, the moisture regain (%) of obtained Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre is almost similar as of Nerium Olender, Cascabela Thevetia, Cotton and Ramie fibre. The same is disclosed in table 1 and table 4 below.

Table 1- Chemical composition (%) of Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre

After chemical composition characterization, the extracted fiber is treated with various chemicals such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid and meta cresol to determine which chemicals causes the breakdown of extracted fiber and it was observed that HC1 breaks the fiber in fine particles, sulphuric acid breaks the fiber in thick particles and meta cresol was unable to breakdown the fibers. These results are depicted in table 2 below -

Table 2- Treatment of fiber with chemicals

Physical characterization of extracted fiber: The extracted fiber further undergo physical characterization in order to determine the color, physical appearance, length, diameter, moisture regain, elongation break, content, density, strength etc. of extracted fibre. From physical characterization, it is observed that the extracted fiber is of golden color and has a very shiny, soft and silk like appearance. Further, the length of the obtained fiber is approximately 3 to 10 cm. Table 3 below discloses the physical properties of extracted fibre.

Table 3- Physical properties of extracted Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre

The density of Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre is low as compared to sisal, jute flax, ramie, abaca, coir, Pineapple and cotton fibres and Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre density is equal to Nerium Oleander, Cascabela Thevetia and Datura stramonium. However, the strength of Cayratia Trifolia L. fibre is 765 Mpa, which is higher as compared to all other bast fibres. The same is evident from table 4 below.

Cayratia trifolia L fiber is high strength hollow fibers and possesses higher absorbance and better comfort properties. Due to which, it can be used for production of non-woven sheet, pads, diapers, carpets, automobile filter media, can be used in medical sector, can be blended with other fibers such as Datura stramonium fiber or polyester for production of yarn or ropes.

The comparative analysis between Cayratia trifolia L fiber with other bast fibers is provided in table 4 below:

Table 4- Comparative Analysis

From table above, that the obtained fiber, i.e., Cayratia Trifolia L possesses a very higher strength i.e., 765 Mpa, which is higher as compared to all existing natural fibers. Further, the moisture regain of fiber disclosed in present invention is similar to that of cotton, Nerium oleander fiber, Cascabela thevetia fiber etc, which makes the fibers of present invention suitable for use on textile industry along with cotton and other natural existing fibers.

Present invention is novel in terms of prior art as none of the prior art studies discloses the use of Cayratia Trifolia L. plant for extraction of natural cellulosic fiber.

Inventive step by way of technological advancement lies in utilization of Cayratia trifolia L. for fiber production which is otherwise only used for medicinal and dyeing purposes. Moreover, the overall process is cost effective, eco-friendly, simple and chemical free hence is economically advanced. The fibre has comparable higher strength and other properties wrt other fibres and hence can replace high cost fibres in various applications.

The present invention is of great industrial application as it will boost up the textile industry, medical textile sector etc. it will help in production of various medical apparels, non-woven sheets, carpets, geotextiles, filter media, paper sheets etc. hence is of great industrial importance.