Bast fibres

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is the oldest natural fibre used by our ancestors as early as 10,000–8000 bc (Neolithic period), when they changed their way of life from nomadic hunting and gathering to a more sedentary, agrarian style of living. Until the eighteenth century, flax was the dominant fibre in Europe, but later on, cotton, cultivated in America and India, began to systematically replace linen. This chapter describes the history of flax and discusses flax plant morphology – the root and rootlets, the wooden cylinder, the holding tissue, structure and chemical compositions of flax stem and fibre. It also describes flax cultivation, harvesting, decortication of green straw, degumming including water and dew retting, osmotic and enzymatic degumming as well as degumming by using electric resonance technology. The processes of scutching, hackling (combing) and ‘cottonization’ are described for fibres extracted from flax straw (generally degummed). Information on the development of different kinds of linen spinning is also given. The main areas of application of linen fibres and yarns are presented. Bleaching, dying and dyes and some finishing methods are discussed. The chapter ends by focusing on the main problems arising from the coexistence and competition of linen with other natural and man-made fibres and discusses future trends.