The derivation and performance of yarn quality prediction models in a program called Cottonspec is reported. Cottonspec incorporates a large database of fiber and yarn data from commercial spinning mills, a series of regression-based models predicting yarn quality from measured cotton fiber quality parameters and yarn specifications and a user interface. The inclusion of independent variables into prediction equations was dependent on the criteria that their inclusion was statistically significant and that variables had a theoretically direct influence on yarn structure. Yarn data was corrected to allow for twist, yarn count and yarn irregularity before correlation with fiber properties. Differences in yarn testing results between mills could be corrected by a Mill Correction Factor. Adherence to these criteria and the ability to draw on the very large database meant prediction ability of the models was excellent, as demonstrated in a series of cross-validations.

Elastomeric, conductive composite yarns have recently received attention around the opportunity for them to offer special protective fields. A straightforward approach for fabricating tri-component elastic-conductive composite yarns (t-ECCYs) containing stainless steel wire (SSW) was proposed previously. This work mainly focuses on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) of weft-stretchable woven fabric containing t-ECCY over the X-band under different testing conditions, e.g., single step-by-step elongation, cyclic stretch and lamination events. Results showed that a woven cotton fabric with weft yarn of t-ECCY not only exhibited superior weft stretch-ability to a higher elongation (>40%) compared with a pure cotton control but also had an acceptable 15-cyclic stability with 80% shape recovery retention. The t-ECCY weft fabric was effective in shielding electromagnetic radiation, and its EMSE was also enhanced at elevated elongations during stretch at parallel polarization of EM waves. There was also no decay in EMSE before and after the t-ECCY fabric was subject to 15 stretch cycles at extension of 20%. In addition, a 90° by 90° cross lamination of t-ECCY fabric remarkably improved the EMSE compared to a 0°/90° one. The scalable fabrication strategy and excellent EMSE seen in t-ECCY-incorporated fabrics represent a significant step forward in protective fields.

In this paper, the effect of aqueous glycine treatments at different pH on the tensile properties of cotton fibers is reported. The effects on linear density and X-ray diffraction crystallinity were also evaluated. Glycine treated fibers at alkaline pH (i.e. at pH 11) produced fibers with higher linear density than control (untreated) and glycine treatments at acidic pH. The same treatment also increased strain values in cotton fibers by as much as 36%. Interestingly, similar changes in strain were observed under acidic conditions, especially at pH4, although the changes were smaller. Specific stress values normalized by the linear density measurements were not significantly different from control samples. The results of this research demonstrated improved strain properties of cotton fibers after aqueous glycine treatment at suitable conditions.

The practice in agriculture of spreading polyethylene (PE) film over the soil surface as mulch is a common, global practice that aids in conserving water, increasing crop yields, suppressing weed growth, and decreasing growing time. However, these films are typically only used for a single growing season, and thus, their use and non-biodegradability come with some serious environmental consequences due to their persistence in the soil and potential for microplastic pollution, particularly when retrieval and disposal options are poor. On the microscale, particles < 5 mm from degraded films have been observed to disrupt soil structure, impede water and nutrient cycling, and affect soil organisms and plant health. On the macroscale, there are obvious and serious environmental consequences associated with the burning of plastic film and its leakage from poorly managed landfills. To maintain the crop productivity afforded by mulching with PE film while avoiding the environmental downsides, the development and use of biodegradable polymer technologies is being explored. Here, the efficacy of a newly developed, water-dispersible, sprayable, and biodegradable polyester–urethane–urea (PEUU)-based polymer was compared with two commercial PE mulches, non-degradable polyethylene (NPE) and OPE (ox-degradable polyethylene), in a greenhouse tomato growth trial. Water savings and the effects on plant growth and soil characteristics were studied. It was found that PEUU provided similar water savings to the commercial PE-based mulches, up to 30–35%, while showing no deleterious effects on plant growth. The results should be taken as preliminary indications that the sprayable, biodegradable PEUU shows promise as a replacement for PE mulch, with further studies under outside field conditions warranted to assess its cost effectiveness in improving crop yields and, importantly, its longer-term impacts on soil and terrestrial fauna.

The use of non-degradable plastic mulch has become an essential agricultural practice for increasing crop yields, but continued use has led to contamination problems and in some cropping areas decreases in agricultural productivity. The subsequent emergence of biodegradable plastic mulches is a technological solution to these issues, so it is important to understand how different soil characteristics and field management strategies will affect the rate at which these new materials degrade in nature. In this work, a series of lab-scale hydrolytic degradation experiments were conducted to determine how different soil characteristics (type, pH, microbial community composition, and particle size) affected the degradation rate of a sprayable polyester–urethane–urea (PEUU) developed as a biodegradable mulch. The laboratory experiments were coupled with long-term, outdoor, soil degradation studies, carried out in Clayton, Victoria, to build a picture of important factors that can control the rate of PEUU degradation. It was found that temperature and acidity were the most important factors, with increasing temperature and decreasing pH leading to faster degradation. Other important factors affecting the rate of degradation were the composition of the soil microbial community, the mass loading of PEUU on soil, and the degree to which the PEUU was in contact with the soil.