A needle-punched nonwoven experiment using cotton and polyester scraps to wrap preserved fruit

Abstract

This study investigates the use of cotton and polyester scraps to produce nonwoven fabrics via the needle-punching method in order to create packaging to preserve fruit. Firstly, the fiber properties were investigated. The needle-punching approach was then used to produce nonwovens, which underwent testing to determine their properties. The nonwovens were then used to create open-ended bags of two fabric types: perforated and non-perforated. These bags were used to wrap three different fruit types: Kimju guava, pear, and tomato. A color meter spectrophotometer was used to obtain the systematic color values for the fruits using C.I.E. LAB (L∗a∗b∗). The color values were obtained and used to compare color change (ΔE). The testing results for the effective length of the cotton and polyester fibers showed respective values of 20 mm and 33.7 mm, while the cotton fiber resolution was 1.21 denier. Three nonwoven fabrics were produced for analysis: cotton fibers, poly-cotton blends, and polyester fibers. Their respective weights per unit area were 82 g/m2, 96 g/m2, and 90 g/m2. It could be determined that the polyester nonwovens provided the most suitable physical properties, including thickness of 1.49 mm and air permeability of 160 cm3/s/cm2. The force required to rear the fabric in the longitudinal direction was 29.44 N, while in the transverse direction it was 24.532 N. The longitudinal and transverse breaks measured 236.844 and 220.448 mm, respectively. It was not possible to obtain results for the puncture test because the nonwoven fabric was too thin and weak. Testing of the fruit preservation qualities of the nonwoven protective wrappings over a ten-day duration revealed that perforated cotton was best for Kimju guava and tomato preservation, with the recorded color change (ΔE) indicating the superiority of this nonwoven fabric over the alternatives.