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The textile fiber market is dominated by synthetic fibers and costly natural fibers. The dual perspective with regards to finding substitutes for costly natural fibers and disadvantages due to environmental burden cum health problems by synthetic fibers need to be addressed as both entail sustainable improvement of the textile industry. The potential route for tackling such problems is utilizing unlimited plant resources in developing countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this study is to extract, characterize, and chemically treated xanthium oriental bast fiber extracted from the plant using the conventional water retting method. In the invitation, the experimental design was based on Central Composite Design (CCD) method, and treatment parameters were selected, specifically NaOH concentration, and treatment temperature. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the significance of the results. The chemical composition analysis revealed 72% cellulose, 18% hemicellulose, and 10% lignin. Xanthium oriental fiber has a diameter of 26.85 μm, a fineness of 1.76tex, and a length of 110–145 cm with reduced values for fiber treated at different alkali concentrations. The moisture content of the extracted fiber was 12.74%. The raw fiber sample showed lower crimp (1.04%) as compared with those treated at different caustic soda concentrations. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the changes in surface, weight loss, and composition of xanthium oriental bast fiber treated with alkali under optimum conditions compared with untreated to obtain a deeper insight into the influential mechanisms of alkali treatment.

The use of biomass to produce bioenergy and biomaterials is considered a sustainable alternative to depleting fossil fuel resources. The world tanneries consume 8–9 MT of skin and hide every year producing 1.4 MT of solid waste. Most of the solid biomass generated from tanneries is disposed of as waste in the environment using either landfilling or thermal incineration. Disposal of this waste into the environment affects the ecosystem, causing bad odor (air pollution) and has an antagonistic impact on the environment. Due to this, European Union legislation bans the landfilling of biomass. This study aims to comprehensively review the possible valorization routes of leather processing industry biomass into high-value biomaterials. Leather biomass (trimmings, shaving, splitting, and buffing dust) mainly contain 30%–35% collagen protein, which is produced by acid or alkali hydrolysis. The biopolymers obtained from leather industry biomass can be utilized in the production of several high-value materials. In addition, leather processing industry biomass also contains fat, which can be converted into a bio-surfactant, and other useful biomaterials. Keratin protein can also be extracted from the hair waste of hides and skins. The increased demand for biomaterials makes the using of leather industry biomass very attractive. From this study, it can be concluded that the conversions of leather processing industry waste to valuable biomaterial can protect the environment, generate additional income for leather industries, and pave way for sustainable and renewable biomaterials production.

The global demand for textile products is rapidly increasing due to population growth, rising living standards, economic development, and fast fashion trends. Ethiopian growth and transformation plan (GTP) gives high priorities for the textile and apparel sectors to transform its agriculturally led economy to an industrial-based economy. To achieve this, the number of textile and apparel industries is rapidly expanding. However, the rapid growth in textile industry is generating mountains and mountains of by-products. In this review, possible applications of cotton stalk and cotton ginning waste in a variety of technologies and products are discussed in Ethiopian context. The finding of this study shows that Ethiopian current cotton cultivating area is about 80 000 hm2, even though the country has a potential of about 3 000 810 hm2 land for cotton cultivation. From the current cultivated area, more than 240 000 t of cotton stalk and 9240 t of cotton ginning trash have been generated as a by-product. But only a very little portion of the cotton stalk is being used as a raw fuel for household purposes and a small portion of cotton ginning trash is used for animal feed. Therefore, these underutilized lignocellulosic biomasses can be used as raw materials for producing different high-value biomaterials and thus country can perceive an economic and environmental benefit. A closer look at the structure and composition of the by-products shows that the whole part of cotton stalk and ginning waste can be used as a source of cellulose which can be exploited for conversion into a number of high-value biomaterials. Thus, conversion of the waste into valuable products can make cotton stalk and ginning by-products an attractive raw material for the production of high value bio-products.

Bast natural fibers have gained importance in the recent years mainly due to their ecofriendliness and their potential availability as raw materials for textile industries. In the present study extraction and characterization of fibers from the stem of Ethiopian indigenous castor oil plant is conducted for possible utilization in textile and related industrial applications. Among the different fiber extraction methods chemical retting using aqueous alkaline media (NaOH) is used for the extraction of the bast fiber. In this study the extraction was carried out by setting appropriate retting conditions of concentration of alkali, temperature and time. The extracted fibers for experimental analysis under the combined conditions were tested for chemical composition, gross morphology, mechanical and thermal properties. The analysis on chemical composition revealed that the castor oil bast [COB] fiber is composed of 64.5–67.3% cellulose, 16.4–21.5% hemicellulose, 15.8–17.2% lignin, 0.3–0.9% extractive with 4.9–5.3% ash content. FTIR spectra of the extracted fibers also confirmed the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and extractives. Analysis on dimensional characteristics of the fiber showed that the extracted fiber has a diameter of 14.2–30.8 µm and fineness of 4.5–13.5 tex with fiber length ranging from 1.3 to 10 cm; the moisture content and moisture regain of the fiber are 7.0–9% and 8.1–10% respectively. Tests on mechanical properties of the extracted COB fiber show a tensile strength of 250–700 MPa with tenacity in the range of 57.80–86.89 cN/tex, elongation of 1.2–5% and elastic modulus of 2114.55–2625.44 cN/tex. TGA results for thermal property analysis indicated that the COB fiber has very good thermal stability with a thermal decomposition temperature in the range of 386.5–498.9 °C. The reasonably high cellulose content, good dimensional and moisture characteristics of COB fiber and its very good mechanical and thermal properties in comparison with conventional natural fibers such as jute, flax, hemp and cotton indicate the possibility for versatile conventional and non-conventional applications of COB fiber such as in textiles and in fiber reinforced composites.

The physical properties of wool fiber considered as vital attribute to grade, classify and select a raw wool fiber for different textile applications. Limited works have been done in Ethiopia to ad...

Ethiopia possesses about 30 million of sheep population which could be taken as a source of raw material for textile industries as a wise strategy to manage their natural fibers scarcity. This work explored the possible wool fiber potentials on selected sheep breeds. Three representative breeds as indigenous (Menz), exotic (Dorper) and crossbreed (50% Dorper/50% Menz) sheep breeds were considered to characterize the wool fiber properties. Samples have been taken from four main body parts for four age categories of each sheep breeds. All samples were allowed to standard laboratory conditioning before testing, and then, properties are measured based on ASTM. The results revealed that the fibers diameter and crimp frequencies of wool fiber of the three sheep breeds in Ethiopia are significantly different from each other. The crossbreeding of the Menz sheep with Dorper provides fine wool fiber. The wool fiber properties particularly the fineness and crimps of Menz, Dorper and 50% Dorper sheep of different parts and age categories are significantly different. Hence, these wool fibers shall be classified and graded based on their breeds to use for different applications, and also it could help to explore more on wool fiber production.

There are many pulp and paper industries all around the globe and in Ethiopia as well different companies are involved in the production and distribution of paper and paper products. Most of the industries especially those in developing countries like Ethiopia produce paper from pulp obtained from wood cellulose. Ethiopia is not producing its pulp and mostly the paper industries depend on imported pulp or recycled paper. There are critical limitations in synthesizing pulp and paper from wood-based cellulose resources mainly the scarcity of wood in some countries and the impact on altering the ecological balance and through frequent deforestation and replantation practice. The present review assesses the potential sources from non-wood resources which can be used as a substitute cellulose raw material for the pulp and paper industry. The study encompasses possible beneficiation routes for manufacturing pulp from non-wood cellulose resources available in Ethiopia for diversified application in the paper industry. With this regard, potential non-wood raw materials for pulping are assed in line with the fulfilment of the target for import substitution strategy, the realization of a safe working environment, and socio-economic betterment of the nation with specific reference to the paper industry.

The meat processing industry produces a huge quantity of by-products, approximately 150 million tonnes per year. The live weight of the animals is distinguished as edible, inedible, and discardable by-products, with the discardable parts equating to 66%, 52%, and 80% of the overall live weight of cattle, lamb, and pigs, respectively. Only a small percentage of those by-products are nowadays exploited for the production of high added value products such as animal feed, glue, fertilizers, etc., whereas the main management method is direct disposal to landfills. As such, the current disposal methodologies of these by-products are problematic, contributing to environmental contamination, soil degradation, air pollution, and possible health problems. Nevertheless, these by-products are rich in collagen, keratin, and minerals, being thus promising sources of high-value materials such as bioenergy, biochemical and other biomaterials that could be exploited in various industrial applications. In this paper, the possible utilization of slaughterhouse by-products for the production of various high added value materials is discussed. In this context, the various processes presented provide solutions to more sustainable management of the slaughterhouse industry, contributing to the reduction of environmental degradation via soil and water pollution, the avoidance of space depletion due to landfills, and the development of a green economy.

The use of natural fibers has increased greatly driven by environmental concerns of synthetic fibers. The most commonly used natural fiber is cotton followed by long leaf fibers like sisal and bast fibers like jute, flax, hemp and ramie. These leaf and bast fibers are an important unconventional source of fibers which could be analyzed and evaluated for their use in technical textile industry. The purpose of the present research was to extract and characterize fibers from Yucca elephantine plant leaves. The fibers were extracted using two methods: water retting and chemically using sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The extracted fibers were characterized for their chemical contents, breaking strength, breaking elongation, fineness, diameter and their moisture content. The extracted fibers were also characterized with FTIR and TGA. The results showed that the extracted fibers had tensile strength of 5.7 cN/tex (water retted) and 7.55 cN/tex (3% NaOH extracted) similar with hemp and sisal fibers. Thermal analysis showed that the fiber is stable up to 290 °C.

The wool fibers fineness and strength have a remarkable role to determine the quality of yarn and the subsequent fabrics. The fineness property of the wool fibers is a crucially important fiber property for grading, classifying, selecting for particular applications such as for suit, blanket, shirt, carpet, and so on. The fineness and strength properties of four indigenous (Menz, Wollo, Farta, Tikur), three exotic (Awasi, Dorper, Corrediale), and four cross-breed (50% Dorper, 50% Awasi, 75% Awsi, Washera/Awasi) sheep wool fibers from the four main body parts (sides, neck, back, and belly) at six teeth removed age of 11 different sheep breeds have been investigated. The samples of wool fibers have been conditioned for 24 h at 20ºC ± 1ºC temperature and 65% ± 2% relative humidity. The specimen for sampling has been determined based on ASTM D2130-01. The results revealed that the fineness and strength of whole fibers taken from different parts of sample sheep varied significantly within the breed and among the breeds. The result revealed that the strength and fineness of the wool fibers have a positive correlation and Ethiopian sheep wool fiber is suitable for numerous types of classical and technical applications.

An attempt has been made to develop multifunctional cotton fabric, possessing water repellent, stain repellent, shrink resistance and quick dry properties using fluorocarbon resin. The hydrophobicity of cotton fabric was determined by carrying out water repellency test, taking scanning electron microscopic photographs and measuring water contact angle. The durability of hydrophobicity of cotton was tested till 20 washes and found satisfactory. Oil repellency was determined employing hydrocarbons resistance test. The air permeability of cotton fabric was also determined keeping in view the impact on breathability of treated cotton and was found quite good. The untreated and treated cotton fabric was subjected to repeated domestic laundry condition, and shrinkage was measured, which indicated excellent shrink resistance behaviour because of its water repelling characteristic. This hydrophobicity of cotton also added to its quick dry behaviour even at low temperature and high relative humidity. The physical properties of treated dyed cotton fabric samples were compared with untreated, and no significant changes were observed in colour fastness to washing, rubbing, perspiration and light. The tensile and tear strength showed good retention even at higher concentration of fluorocarbon resin. This work is of great industrial importance for textile products used in home textiles. The textile industry can fetch more export earnings by doing multiple value addition using the same chemical. The work reported in the literature is about using fluorocarbon and developing water- and oil-repellent fabrics. In the present work, apart from water and oil repellency, shrink resistance and quick dry behaviour of cotton textile has also been established using same fluorocarbon because of hydrophobicity imparted to cotton.

A water soluble carboxymethyl derivative of chitosan was prepared with a view to develop a multifunctional finish on cotton. Results show that treated cotton has better dyeability with direct and reactive dyes. Treatment with modified chitosan makes it possible to dye cotton in bright shades with cationic dyes having high wash fastness. Treated samples showed good antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at 0.1% concentration as well as improved wrinkle recovery. The effect was found to be durable for five laundering cycles.

The study which employed both questionnaire and observational survey was conducted in urban and per urban area of Hossana with the objectives of determining the prevalence of major reproductive health problems of dairy cattle and the possible risk factors in the selected dairy farms from November 2013 to April 2014. A total of 390 dairy cattle (349 cross and 41 local breed) which were kept under different management system (256 intensively, 60 semi intensively and 74 were extensive) were included, out of which 43.07 % (n=168) were found to be affected either with one or more of reproductive problems. Repeat breeder, anoestrus, Retained Fetal membrane (RFM), and dystocia were found to be the major reproductive health problems containing 13.08%, 12.06%, 7.18% and 5.9% prevalence rate respectively and other reproductive health problems observed with lower prevalence include vaginal prolapsed, abortion, mixed and uterine prolapsed having 3.44%, 2.56%, 1.03%, and 0.76% respectively in the study farms of the area. The overall prevalence of reproductive problems showed significant difference (p 0.05) on the occurrence of reproductive problems in the area. Therefore, it is recommended that awareness creation to farm owners, attendants and improved management such as, proper feeding, accurate heat detection, considering the size of sire and dam while using AI, and health management should be improved to minimize the occurrence of these problems and associated economic losses in the dairy farms of the area.