Molly Robbins

TMD 303
March 15th 2015
How Textiles Benefit the Planet
Mopping Up Disasters: Textiles Protect People and the Planet is an article
explaining how different textiles from cotton to polyester are being used to help with
disaster cleanup. Low micronaire cotton has been found to be very successful in helping
to clean up oil spills. A micronaire reading is based off of the fibers resistance to airflow.
Finer fibers will have a greater resistance, meaning high micronaire fibers are finer fibers.
This means that the low micronaire cotton being used has not matured and is of a lower
grade. Using low micronaire cotton for the cleanup of oil spills gives it a new and
important purpose since it is usually considered the least valuable cotton (Davis). Cotton
uses three processes to soak up oil: adsorption, absorption, and capillary action. This
means that first the oil will cling to the cottons surface, then the fibers will absorb it, and
finally the oil will flow into the spaces that form between the fibers (Kowalski). Using
cotton is a good and ecofriendly method due the fact that it is a natural fiber.
The success of using low micronaire cotton has created a new method for disaster
cleanup. Before discovering the usefulness of cotton some typical methods for attempting
to clean oil spills ranged from skimmers to burning of the oil. Studies have been
conducted on fibers including barley straw, kapok, polypropylene wool, and many more.
A lack of knowledge on their ability to absorb oil still existed, leading to the necessary
testing of raw cotton (Davis). Low micronaire cotton was found to be successful due to
the way it repels water but still absorbs the oil. This has helped lead to new innovations in
the textile world. A fabric named Fibertect that was developed at Texas Tech University

can also be used to soak up chemical and oil spills. Fibertect is composed of two
nonwoven layers of either cotton or polyester with carbon in the center. Cotton is a better
option since it is biodegradable (Davis). This means that once the cotton is done being
put to use it can be easily disposed of. Selectively permeable fabric is commonly used
in clothing worn by workers dealing with hazardous waste. This keeps chemicals from
entering while the bodys moisture is able to exit. Textiles and different types of fibers are
all essential to protecting and controlling hazardous waste. New technologies are
continuing to be invented in an effort to clean chemical, oil, and other hazardous spills
and contaminations.
The author of this article, Glenna B. Musante, has written many other articles on
textiles and sustainability. Musante is an editor and writer for the American Association
of Textile Chemists and Colorists. She has written articles such as The Greening of the
Textile Supply Chain and Sustainability: Essential to Performance. These articles explain
the growing concentration on sustainability in the supply chain and textile industry. Life
Saving Fibers is another article written by Musante that talks about the use of textile
fibers to replace body parts. This relates to her article on textiles being used in disaster
relief by explaining another way textiles are used to service people in a significant way.
Musantes articles all tend to showcase the important aspects and uses of textiles and
fibers along with focusing on sustainability and the environment. Her article on the role
textiles play in disaster cleanup explains how important and useful textiles are to society.
Musantes understanding of the topic is apparent from the many articles she has had
published by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, known as the
AATCC. The AATCC is a journal aimed towards individuals in the textiles and materials

industries. The AATCC has been viewed by textiles specialists since 1921 and continues
to be acknowledged for its methods of testing fibers and fabrics. The research journal
branches out to an audience of consumers and retail organizations, chemical
manufacturers, testing laboratories, colleges and universities, government agencies, and
many more. Articles published by the AATCC are reviewed before publishing to ensure
that they are original works and are of high quality. These requirements show that articles
published by the AATCC are trustworthy and of significant content. Musantes article
Mopping Up Disasters: Textiles Protect People and the Planet is an excellent
documentation on how research continues to provide us with new, sustainable, and
helpful advances in the world of textiles.

Works Cited
Davis, John. "Low-Grade Cotton Brings Top Value in Oil Spill Cleanup." Texas
Tech Today RSS. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http://today.ttu.edu/2013/05/low-grade-cottonbrings-top-value-in-oil-spill-cleanup/>.
Kowalski, Kathiann. "Soaking Up Oil Spills - With Cotton." Student Science.
Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <https://student.societyforscience.org/article/soaking-oil-spills-withcotton>.
Davis, John. "New Version of Fibertect More Viable at Cleaning Nerve Chemical
Surrogate." Texas Tech Today RSS. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
<http://today.ttu.edu/2013/03/new-version-of-fibertect-more-viable-at-cleaning-nervechemical-surrogate/>.
Collier, Billie J., Martin Bide, and Phyllis G. Tortora. Understanding Textiles. 7th
ed. Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
"About AATCC." About AATCC. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
<https://www.aatcc.org/about/index.htm>.