Natural fibers, which are an important part of human environment, are also valuable raw materials used for textile and non-textile production. Diversity of natural fiber shapes and forms is caused by their occurrence in different climatic zones. The abundance of the fiber sources arouses interest and gives opportunity for more comprehensive studies and, what follows, finding new applications for the fibers in industry. This paper presents collection of well- and little-known natural fibers from exotic plants that come from various climatic zones. Image analysis conducted by SEM techniques is a reliable method for evaluation of parameters characterizing surface and cross section of natural fibers. Some information about properties and application of the fibers is also provided.

Flax and hemp fibers are known as textile raw materials with pro-health properties. This paper presents results of research aimed at investigating the antioxidant activity of the fibers in order to explain a mechanism for the favorable influence of textiles made of these fibers when in contact with human skin. The study presents a new approach in evaluation of textile fibers in terms of their inherent pro-health properties. Antioxidant properties of flax and hemp fibers were tested with the use of FRAP and DPPH methods. The content of phenolic acids: syringic, sinapinic, p-coumaric and ferulic acid was determined with the use of HPLC. The results proved that the antioxidant activity of the tested fibers depends on a type and variety of fibrous plants, a method of fiber extraction and subsequent stages of preliminary processing of the fibers. Both decorticated flax and hemp fibers showed higher antioxidant activity in comparison to the fibers obtained with other extraction methods, while decorticated flax of different varieties presented the highest value of the FRAP. Wet methods of fiber extraction and processing caused reduction of phenolic acids content and significantly lower values of the FRAP and DPPH.

This paper concerns the management of natural waste fibres. The aim of this research was the production of multifunctional acoustic and thermal insulation materials from natural protein and lignocellulosic fibre wastes, according to a circular bioeconomy. For the manufacture of the materials, local mountain sheep wool and a mixture of bast fibre waste generated by string production were used. Insulating materials in the form of mats produced by the needle-punching technique with different fibre contents were obtained. The basic parameters of the mats, i.e., the thickness, surface weight and air permeability were determined. To assess barrier properties, sound absorption and noise reduction coefficients, as well as thermal resistance and thermal conductivity, were measured. It was shown that the mats exhibit barrier properties in terms of thermal and acoustic insulation related to the composition of the mat. It was found that mats with a higher content of the bast fibres possess a greater ability to absorb sounds, while mats with higher wool contents exhibit better thermal insulation properties. The produced mats can serve as a good alternative to commonly used acoustic and thermal insulating materials. The production of the described materials allows for a reduction in the amount of natural fibre waste and achieves the goal of “zero waste” according to the European Green Deal strategy.

The commonly used flax process of decortication allows the mechanical extraction of fibre from plant stems without prior retting. The one-type fibre obtained in this process is characterised by very low quality, as it is poorly divided, has high linear mass and high amounts of impurities. This paper presents a description of a newly developed method of obtaining high quality flax cottonized fibre from low quality decorticated fibre by application of a wet degumming process for fibre. The experiment involved studying the parameters of flax fibres after each step of the technological process i.e. after decortication, wet degumming and final mechanical cottonisation. The study covered tests of the following fiber parameters: linear mass, length, impurities, chemical composition as well as thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis and scanning electron microscopy images. The results confirm the efficiency of the method applied for obtaining high quality fibre from decorticated flax fibre.

The aim of the study was exploration of the properties of wool derived from sheep reared in Poland. Twenty-nine breeds of sheep diverse from the type of farming, e.g. for meat, dual-purpose breeds for wool-milk, and versatile wool are bred in Poland, but only few of them have uniform wool. Because there is a lack of data determining quality and quantity of Polish wool, the wool-based textile industry in Poland uses mainly imported raw material. Wool quality has an impact on processing efficiency and determines possibility of its further use. In order to assess the wool quality from the local sheep breeds (Polish Merino, Olkuska, Żelaźnieńska, Polish Lowland Sheep), fiber parameters were evaluated: average fiber diameter, length, curvature, and comfort factor. The wool was subjected to microscopic analysis and color examination. Results of the study showed that wool from the above-mentioned sheep breeds varies greatly in terms of quality. The obtained data helps fill the information gap on Polish wool.