Unique technology to make knitting yarn out of bioflax in Belarus

A unique technology has been developed in Belarus to make knitting yarn out of bioflax, BelTA learned from Tatiana Silich, Candidate of Science (Engineering), head of the Minsk Experimental Raw Materials Department of the Light Industry Research Center.

The technology allows making flax-containing yarn nearly twice as thin as the yarn that knitwear enterprises of Belarus and other CIS states now process, said Tatiana Silich. Moreover, the technology is patentable in these territories.

As the key feature the technology uses bioflax - flax rolled tow that has been subjected to mechanical cottonizing and ferments. Cottonizing and special treatment help clean the yarn from dirt and dust, remove chaff and foreign materials, and help break down the yarn into finer components.

Tatiana Silich said that the yarn that contains bioflax has been used to make a brand new range of extremely light products with modern design and high hygienic qualities. This summer the products based on the innovative yarn will be shipped to stores in Belarus.

The Light Industry Research Center is now working on a technology to allow woven yarn manufacturers to partially substitute imported cotton with Belarus-grown flax in their products. The bioflax technology will raise the share of flax in woven yarn from 20-25% to 50% while making woven yarn thinner.

The Light Industry Research Center is a research organization for the Belarusian light industry of the Belarusian state light industry concern Bellegprom. The Minsk Experimental Raw Materials Department designs promising technologies to make new kinds of yarn out of natural and artificial fibers, fabrics and knitted goods, non-woven materials, absorbent cotton and other materials as part of industry research programs for Bellegprom and the State Science and Technology Committee.

According to Piotr Mukha, Candidate of Science (Engineering), Director of the Center, the Center has an accredited body to certify light industry products, operates test labs that perform certification tests for textile materials, leather, and footwear to verify their compliance with requirements of technical regulations, including technical regulations of the Customs Union.