Manufactured Fibers

I was excited for today's lesson in manufactured fibers, because I have just recently decided to study Material Science and Engineering at UC Merced to try and create new, high-tech textiles. The fibers our book focused on were rayon, lyocell, acetate, triacetate, nylon, polyester, olefin, acrylic, modacrylic, spandex, and elastoester. Interestingly enough, the fabrics which are the most common and that I was the most familiar with, were the worst. The one fabric that had no cons listed on the pro and con chart, elastoester, was the one with which I had the most difficult time finding garments. It was also interesting to see how many chemicals go into the process of creating chemical fibers. It leaves me wondering: are synthetic fibers or natural fibers more sustainable? Natural fibers may deplete natural resources and harm animals, but synthtic fibers use chemicals that may be harmful to the environment. The textbook did not touch on this, except for the mention of bamboo acrylic being favored by environmentalists.

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