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COVID-19 Update: Sukano announces masterbatches for PET and PA fibers have antiviral effect
With the coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading worldwide, International Fiber Journal is tracking stories relevant to the textile fiber industry. Facemasks, personal protective equipment, medical supplies and wipes are among the fiber-intensive technologies particularly relevant to the COVID-19 response effort. And as manufacturers of these technologies and others struggle to meet global demand in the face of the …
With all-virtual conference program in 2020, RISE continues its quest for the leading edge in material science for engineered fabrics
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, in cooperation with The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) and North Carolina State University will present the 10th annual Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE®) conference Sept. 29-30 in an all-virtual format. And while this year’s edition will not be in-person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, …
Student Spotlight: Reusable textiles for liquid and virus repellency
Anthony John Galante is pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is conducting research on microbe repellent surfaces at the Lab for Advanced Materials in Pittsburgh (LAMP). His research focuses on the application of surfaces with different functionalities such as self-cleaning, stain-resistance, bacteria-repellency and virus repellency. Galante’s interest in …
Mixed messages – the UK is at odds with the rest of Europe once again, this time over flushability
The further development of plastic-free and flushable products will be key themes at INDA’s World of Wipes (WOW) 2020, which will now be an all-virtual event Aug. 24-27. For my own presentation at the event, I provided the half-jokey title “London: Why do all the problems start in the pesky UK’s capital?” back in January. …
Rice and wood – building for the future on Japan’s natural resources and fiber legacy
Many of Japan’s major corporations began as fiber manufacturers, and their expansion has been decades long, typically involving diversification into other fields such as chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, real estate, etc. Asahi Kasei, Kuraray, Teijin, Toray Industries and Toyobo, for example, all emerged as manufacturers of viscose rayon in the 1920s and have remained …