Rice straws can help reduce development costs
Rajamangala University of Technologies Isan (RMUTI)’s Surin Campus has introduced new items created by the combination of silk cocoons and rice straw dietary fibre.
The innovative range of items are on exhibit on “Thailand Research Expo 2022”, which is with each other organised by the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry’s National Research Council associated with Thailand and other research networks nationwide. It can feature over seven hundred products that are still in the stage associated with research and development by Thailänder researchers, as well as over 150 topics within seminars.
RMUTI Surin Campus is joining the big event for the first time. Its research team introduced towel woven by man made fibre cocoons mixed with grain straw fibre, which can add value to waste and reduce the requirement among farmers to burn dry grain straws after enjoying their grain.
Rattanarekha Atchariyapitak, a lecturer in the university’s Industrial Textiles and Fashion Style Department and head of the research group, said back in 2020 her team wanted to add value to community products.
As Surin is known as one of the best areas for producing woven silk fabrics, as well as growing jasmine grain, the research team combined the strong selling points of the state into new products, the lady said.
The team stopped at a community in tambon Khewa Sinarin within Khewa Sirarin region and spent about three years working on the newest innovation.
The project had been funded by the Program Management Unit upon Area Based Progress the Office of Nationwide Higher Education Science Study and Innovation Plan Council.
She said that throughout the first year, the particular team used chemical substances to soften grain straws before spinning it into yarn but in 2021, the particular team used bio-fermented liquid made from local citrus fruit. The process got about three months in order to soften the grain straws into dietary fibre.
In addition , Lakkana Pitak, a lecturer from the university’s Agricultural Machinery Anatomist Dept, invented an instrument to mix rice straw fibre with man made fibre yarn made from remaining silk cocoons. The equipment can speed up the availability of yarn as it can churn out one metre a minute.
She said the thought of mixing the rice straw fibre along with silk yarn can reduce the cost of producing man made fibre yarn by up to 80%, or about 2, 000 baht per kilogramme.
For this 12 months, the team more developed the fabric so it could be turned into commercial products. The particular mixed woven fabric of silk plus rice straw is definitely stronger than pure woven silk, mentioned Ms Rattanarekha.
It can be used to produce many types of products for example clothes, suits, overcoats, neckties, face masks, hats, bags and souvenirs.
Thailand Research Expo 2022 kicked away from yesterday and will operate until Aug 5 at the Centara Great and Bangkok Meeting Centre at CentralWorld in Bangkok.