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- How is wool made?
- What is carbonizing process of wool?
- What is grading of wool?
- What is scouring of wool?
- What is the shearing process of wool?
- What is the value of pure wool in the global market?
- What is the value of worsted wool yarn in the global market?
- What is worsted wool?
- Where is wool produced in the world?
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- How is cotton made?
- What are the properties of cotton?
- What is carding process?
- What is combing?
- What is cotton ginning and its types?
- What is the chemical composition of cotton?
- What is the value of cotton in the global market?
- Where is cotton produced in the world?
- Why is organic cotton expensive?
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- How is nylon made?
- What are nylon chips or polyamide chips?
- What are the properties of nylon?
- What is benzene?
- What is caprolactam (CPL)?
- What is NFY?
- What is the chemical composition of nylon?
- What is the value of nylon fiber in the global market?
- Where is nylon produced in the world?
- Who are the global caprolactam producers?
- Who are the major global producers of benzene?
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- How is polyester made?
- What are polyester chips?
- What are the end uses and countries producing PSF (polyester staple fiber)?
- What are the end-uses of polyester chips?
- What are the properties of polyester?
- What are the uses of paraxylene?
- What is MEG and who are its producers?
- What is paraxylene and its properties?
- What is polyester staple fiber (PSF)?
- What is Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA)?
- What is the chemical composition of polyester?
- Where is polyester produced in the world?
- Who are the global paraxylene producing countries?
- Who are the global producers of Purified Terephthalic Acid?
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- How is acrylic made?
- What are the properties of acrylic?
- What is acrylonitrile?
- What is ASF?
- What is propylene?
- What is the chemical composition of acrylic?
- What is the global market of acrylonitrile and who are its producers?
- What is the global market of propylene and who are its producers?
- Where is acrylic produced in the world?
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What are the environmental impacts of silk?
Silk being a protein fiber is a renewable textile material with low environmental impact compared with other fibers. Since the silkworms feed on mulberry leaves, they do not require any sort of pesticides or fertilizers to grow and thus no harmful chemicals are released in the environment.
But then the question is how does silk production harm the environment Let’s discuss them:
• Production:
The main sustainability issue in silk production is the killing of the larvae when the cocoon is boiled to extract the filament during the sericulture process which is considered unethical. About 6,600 silkworms are killed to extract 1 kg of silk fiber.
This is criticized heavily by many animal welfare associations such as PETA and rights activists. Also, there are some varieties of silk referred to as Eri silk, also called as ‘Peace silk’ wherein the caterpillars are not killed in the cocoon stage to acquire the fiber but are allowed to become moths and thus eri silk is not reeled rather it is spun.
In addition, cleaning of silk utilizes harsh chemical treatment which contributes to water pollution.
• Processing and Transportation:
Also, since silk is not produced by many countries its shipping involves the use of fossil fuel and so a large amount of energy is consumed.
The silk production is a labour-intensive job and so many times the workers are exploited and not given equal wages along with proper work environment conditions.
It is often observed that since the silkworms are fed mulberry leaves, the mulberry tree after some time loses its roots from the ground and is easily blown down. And then it becomes compulsory to cut the tree and roots are destroyed by the application of herbicides. Since the roots of the tree are strong and may pose a problem by blocking the drains.