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Suitability of Natural Fibres in Geotextile Applications SUITABILITY OF

NATURAL FIBRES IN GEOTEXTILE APPLICATIONS

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 Suitability of Natural Fibres in Geotextile Applications

IGC 2009, Guntur, INDIA

SUITABILITY OF NATURAL FIBRES IN GEOTEXTILE APPLICATIONS

Mahuya Ghosh
Scientist, Geotech Cell, Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association, Kolkata–700088, India.
E-mail: mahuya..g@gmail.com
P.K. Choudhury
In-charge, Geotech Cell, Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association, Kolkata–700088, India.
E-mail: pradip1451@yahoo.co.in
Tapobrata Sanyal
Geotech Advisor, Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association & Jute Manufactures Development Council, Kolkata–700016, India.
E-mail: tapobrata_s@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT: Natural fibres, like jute, coir, sisal, etc. have quite a few inherent properties suited to meet the requirements of
different types of geotextiles. Shorter durability of natural geotextiles is a matter of apparent concern of end-users in general,
though their eco-compatibility gives them an edge over man-made geotextiles. Availability of jute in abundance, especially in
the eastern region of the Indian sub-continent, its spinnability and other features backed by more-than-century old expertise of
jute mills in making a variety of fabrics should augur a promising future of Jute Geotextiles (JGT).
This paper presents some details regarding application of JGT. Besides, use of other natural geotextiles and related studies
finds mention in the paper. Additionally, some new but novel natural fibre- based geotextiles developed to meet typical end-
use requirements have also been discussed.
1. INTRODUCTION (b) It is reasonably resistant to bio-degradation
Man-made geotextiles based on petrochemical derivatives Natural fibres can be of vegetable, animal or mineral origin.
have doubtful eco-compatibility. There are certain associated Vegetable fibres have greatest potential for use in geotextiles
problems as well. There is slow but sure depletion of the because of their superior mechanical properties. The
valuable source warranting its controlled use. There is thus important vegetable fibres which are either in use or have
unabated rise in prices of the raw material as a result which potential to be used as raw material for geotextiles are jute,
in turn makes geotextiles expensive. There is therefore a need coir, sisal, flax, kenaf, abaca, pineapple etc.
for search for eco-friendly, renewable, abundantly available and
economically viable alternatives. Increasing inclination to From Table 1, it is clear that jute has better mechanical
use natural geotextiles stems from this necessity. properties (desirable for reinforcement application) and more
hygroscopic (desirable for drainage application) than the
In this paper, the scope of the natural fibres to be used as raw conventional polypropylene and polyester fibres (generally
material for geotextiles, applications of different commercial prepared from recycled polymers) used for manufacturing
natural products and nature and functional efficacy of some newly geotextiles. Being more hygroscopic, amount of volume
developed natural geotextile products have been discussed.
swelling in water for these natural fibres would be also
higher than the man-made fibres. This will directly cause
2. NATURAL FIBRES FOR GEOTEXTILES AND reduction in pore size and an increase in thickness of the
THEIR SCOPE VIS-À-VIS SYNTHETIC FIBRES geotextile filter fabric made out of natural fibres. This thicker
A fibre would be suitable for manufacturing geotextiles when and denser filter fabric is expected to function as a more
effective filter.
(a) It possesses suitable mechanical properties and in some
cases along with good hydraulic properties
Table 1: Some Related Properties and Characteristics of Different Fibres for Geotextile Applications (after Batra, 1985)
Type of fibre Tenacity Extension at Initial modulus Work of Volume Moisture regain % at Lignin
N/tex break (%) N/tex rupture, N/tex swelling % 65% RH, 20ºC content %
Jute 0.3–0.9 1–1.8 17–19 0.005 44.3 12–14 12–14
Coir 0.18 41–45 4.22 0.016 – 10 30
Sisal 0.37–4.7 1.9–4.5 25–26 0.0043 39.5 11–14 9.9
Polyester 0.3–0.8 15–55 6–12 0.020–0.092 – 0.4-0.6 Nil
Polypropylene 0.3–0.8 15–35 2–9 0.082 – < 0.1 Nil

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Suitability of Natural Fibres in Geotextile Applications

Spinning of coir fibres to prepare uniform and finer count 3. DIFFERENT NATURAL GEOTEXTILE PRODUCTS
yarn is a very difficult job owing to the very fundamental
3.1 For Erosion Control Application
limitation of the raw material itself. Coir fibres exhibit a
wide range of dimensions, varying in length from 50 mm to Rickson (2003) reported that woven jute fabrics performed
300 mm and in diameter between approximately 100 μm and the best among other natural and synthetic erosion control
400 μm. The longer fibres are also thicker. Basically, the products under numerous experimental conditions, with
population of coir fibres is a heterogeneous mixture of fibres different rainfall intensities and soil types. In the process of
varying widely in mechanical properties such as in bending investigating jute’s superiority over others, she identified
rigidity and breaking load. Traditionally, this extremely some extremely important geotextile properties having good
heterogeneous fibre mass is twisted as a bunch and finally a correlation with erosion control performance. These are area
2-ply yarn structure is formed which is evidently very thick of the geotextile (% cover), water holding capacity of
and uneven. Obviously to design suitable woven fabric geotextile, geotextile induced roughness to the flow, weight
structures for different applications, initially one has to of geotextile when wet and depth of flow enhanced by the
improve the coir spinning process starting with a segregation geotextile.
of the different component groups of fibres within the
coconut husk. In this regard jute fibre spinning technology is 3.1.1 Soil Saver
far ahead and hence has a definite advantage. Coir fibres
differ from jute fibres in another aspect too; jute fibres Soil Saver’ is a brand name of open weave Jute Geotextile
exhibit moderately high modulus as well as high tenacity and (JGT) which has been in use in Europe and America since
very low extension at break whereas coir fibres behave early 1950s control for of surficial soil erosion caused by
exactly in the opposite manner, viz. moderately low modulus, precipitation, principally in slopes through vegetation
low tenacity and very high extension at break. Hence, they (Sanyal, 2004). Each grid (opening) in open mesh woven
can be employed as ideal partners for a blended product JGT, like ‘soil-saver’, helps confine detached soil particles
(Banerjee, 2004). within and thus prevent their migration. Simultaneously, the
weft yarns of soil-saver act as successive mini-barriers to
The growth of micro-organism on natural fibres depends on reduce the velocity of surface run-off. Additionally, jute
their chemical composition. To this end, the presence of having high water holding capability can absorb water to
lignin decreases moisture absorption, since lignin is about 500 % of its dry weight. No other hard textile fibre can
hydrophobic. In addition, layers of lignin in the inner middle claim to possess this level of capability as reported by
lamella and close to the fibre surface will resist penetration Oosthuzen & Kruger, 1994. Hence, JGT, when wet, would
of water into the cellulosic cell wall (Batra, 1985). Hence, create more intimate contact with the soil surface underneath
the lignin content is supposed to hinder microbial attack by due to increased drapability. Moreover, it has the unique
keeping the fibre bulk at low moisture level. In this respect property of forming mulch on biodegradation, keeping a
alone, coir fibre with 30% lignin content stands out as congenial humidity level and curbing extremes of
extremely resistant followed by jute (about 12%) and leaf temperature which fosters fast vegetative growth. At present,
fibres (about 10%). Even in contest of lignin-hemicellulose three types of soil-saver are in common use. Their technical
ratio, jute coir and leaf fibres appear to have distinct specifications are provided in Table 2.
advantage over the other bast fibres. In terms of the
crystallinity of the cellulose content, which also influences Table 2: Specifications of Soil Saver’s (after Sanyal, 2004)
the biodegradability (Batra, 1985), no comparative results are
available for these fibres although it is quite high for the leaf Type/ Properties 1 2 3
fibres and low for coir. In some specific geotechnical Areal density (g/m2) at 20 % 292 500 730
applications, ambient environment provides a degree of moisture regain
protection to the natural product. For example, in asphalt Threads/ dm (MD × CD) 12 × 12 6.5 × 4.5 7×7
overlay application, the concerned geotextile would be Thickness (mm) 2 4 6
surrounded by asphlatic environment. The asphalt itself will Fabric Width (m) 1.22 1.22 1.22
resist or delay biological degradation (Ghosh, 2006; Banerjee Open area (%) 60 50 40
& Ghosh, 2008). Strength (kN/m) (MD × CD) 10 × 10 10 × 7.5 12 × 12
Sisal, a leaf fibre, is also available in considerable volume in Water holding capacity (%) 400 500 500
our country. Oosthuzen & Kruger (1994) reported the on dry weight
successful application of sisal geotextile product for erosion Maximum durability (yrs.) 2 2 2
control application in South Africa. Further scientific
investigation is needed to assess its efficacy in solving other 3.1.2 Bitumen-Coated JGT
geotechnical problems and finally to incorporate this fibre in
To achieve enhanced durability of JGT in some specific
the basket of natural raw materials for different geotextile
application of erosion control, like in control of river bank
products.

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 Suitability of Natural Fibres in Geotextile Applications

erosion where the product would be continuously exposed to 3.1.4 Sisal Geotextile
water, bitumen-coated JGT are employed.
Oosthuzen & Kruger (1994) have reported successful
Sanyal (2006) have reported the successful field trials of application of sisal geotextile in the semi-arid region, like
employing bitumen-coated JGT to mitigate river bank South Africa where the bulk of rainfall is in the form of
erosion at Nayachar Island in the estuary of the river Hoogly, heavy thunder showers. Two types of sisal geotextile
West Bengal and the eastern bank of the river Phulahar in the (nettings), having areal densities of 300 g/m2 and 1000 g/m2
district of Malda, West Bengal. Rot resistant chemicals have were employed. The report shows that the sisal fibre
been applied to defer the degradation of the geotextile by compares very favourably with other natural fibres, like jute
about 3-4 years, by which time it is expected that siltation and coir. Sisal geotextile provides protection against soil
would take place between the boulders laid over the erosion for a period of up to two years while at the same time
geotextile. JGT can prevent the migration of soil from the creates suitable micro-climate for the germination and
growth of new vegetation.
bank and it has sufficient permeability to neutralize
differential over pressures. Specifications for typical bitumen
coated JGT are provided in Table 4. 3.2 Jute Geotextiles for Separation and Filtration
Specifications of woven JGTs used for these kinds of
3.1.3 Coir Geotextile Mattings applications are provided in Table 4.
In some severe situations, either because of climate or
steepness of slope, a longer period of function by the erosion Table 4: Specifications for Typical Woven JGTs
control geotextile is required. Coir-based geotextiles (JGT Manual, 2008)
provides both the advantages of bio-degradability and Properties Grey Rot Bitumen
longevity required for slow establishment of vegetative (untreated) resistant treated
cover. Coir-based geotextiles have been shown to persist, in Mass/unit area (g/m2) 760 760 1200
UK upland conditions, for at least three years and to retain Threads/dm (MD × CD) 102 × 39 102 × 39 102 × 39
their erosion control functions. Comparative efficacy of coir Width (m) 0.76–2.0 0.76–2.0 0.76–2.0
and jute as vegetative growth facilitator has not been studied Thickness (mm) 2 2 2
in depth. Coir incidentally absorbs water around 150% of its Strength (kN/m) 20 × 20 20 × 20 21 × 21
dry weight as compared to jute’s 400% to 500%. (MD × CD)
Extension % at break 10 × 10 10 × 10 10 × 10
Rao (1995) has reported the successful use of Coir Mattings (MD X CD)
for the rectification and regeneration of a landslide in the AOS (O90) μ 300 300 150
Western Ghat region of Kerala, India. Two varieties of coir Water permeability at 10 50 50 20
mattings, Type A and Type B, were selected for the present cm water head (l/m2/s)
field application. The physical properties of these Coir Puncture resistance (N) 380 380 400
Mattings are presented in Table 3. Durability (yrs.) Normal 1 2 4

Table 3: Properties of Coir Geotextile Mattings 3.3 Jute Geotextiles for Filtration and Drainage
(after Rao, 1995) Applications
Property Type A Type B Specifications of nonwoven JGTs used for these kinds of
Areal density (g/m2) 915 440 applications are provided in Table 5.
Opening size (mm) 6.0 × 10.5 15.6 × 22.5
Number of yarns/m length Table 5: Specifications for Nonwoven JGTs
(a) Machine direction 118 56 (after JGT Manual, 2008)
(Picks/m) Properties Type-1 Type-2
(b) X-machine direction 75 40 Weight (g/m2) 500 1000
(Ends/m) Thickness (mm) 4 8
Wide width tensile strength Width (m) 1.50 1.50
(kN/m) 24.8 10.5 Strength (kN/m) (MD × CD) 4×5 6×7
(a) Machine direction 17.5 7.1 Elongation at break (%) (MD × CD) 20 × 25 20 × 25
(b) X-machine direction Pore size (O90) Micron 500 300
Strain at failure (%) Co-efficient of water permittivity 3.4 × 10–3 3.4 × 10–4
(a) Machine direction 40.0 30.0 (m/s)
(b) X-machine direction 35.0 27.5 Durability (yrs.) Normal 1 1

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Suitability of Natural Fibres in Geotextile Applications

3.4 Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVDs) 4. NATURAL GEOTEXTILES DEVELOPED IN INDIA

Construction on sites underlain by thick strata of soft
cohesive soils leads to long term settlement problems. These
are best controlled by pre-consolidating the clay up to the
anticipated settlement under design load, frequently in
combination with the installation of prefabricated vertical
drains (PVDs), to reduce the time required for foundation
stabilization. The main aim of the application of PVDs is to
accelerate the consolidation time by shortening the drainage
path.
A PVD is generally consisting of two parts, the sheath and
the core. For synthetic fibre based PVDs, the sheath is a
nonwoven filter fabric used to prevent the entry of soil
particles and allow only water to penetrate inside the drain
while the core is made in different profiles and helps in
transporting water vertically through the drain. The entire
PVD is 100 mm wide and 4-6 mm thick. The synthetic fibres
used for these PVDs have a long life, but their intended
function completes within a much shorter period and after
that they do not apparently serve any purpose. On the other
hand, these drains exhibit poor shear and buckling behaviour.
Consequently, considerable amount of kinking occurs in such
drains on consolidation of soil, resulting in a drop in discharge
capacity. To this end, Lee et al. (1989) have reported the
development and several field applications of PVD (brand
name: Fibredrain) based on natural fibres, viz. jute and coir.
3.4.1 Fibredrain
4.1 Brecodrain
This PVD is basically a triaxially braided sheath of jute yarns
encasing sixteen coir yarns and developed at Indian Institute
of Technology Delhi (Banerjee et. al. 1997).
The braiding technology has been successfully employed to
produce drains on a single machine in one single stage
operation. The important properties of ‘brecodrain’ are
provided in Table 6.
As regards discharge capacity, the ‘brecodrain’ performs
better in the kinked condition than the commercial drains and
it discharge capacity is less affected with increase in
percentage of kinking compared to other commercial drains.
4.2 Jute Asphalt Overlay Fabric
It is 100% jute based asphalt overlay fabric developed for
low traffic roads, like district and rural roads in India (Ghosh,
2006). This product would resist propagation of reflective
cracking in pavements. The construction of the product is
leno weave based. According to the functional requirements
of the specific end-use, these geotextiles have moderately
high Young’s modulus and suitable grid openings to be
firmly anchored with the surrounding aggregates of the
asphalt concrete ensuring the prevention of further crack
opening. The related functional properties of the fabric (code
name: Mod JAO) is provided in Table 7.

Fibredrain is made of jute and coir developed at the National Table 7: Tensile Properties of Mod JAO (after Ghosh, 2006)
University of Singapore is nowadays a well-accepted
commercialized product (Lee et al. 1989). The important Wide width Wide width Young’s
properties of the product are provided in Table 6. In strength, kN/m elongation % Modulus, MPa
comparison to synthetic prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), Warp- Weft- Warp- Weft- Warp- Weft-
this drain is expected to behave better in terms of kinking way way way way way way
and buckling along with its eco-friendliness. 38.7 36.3 4.9 5.0 222.0 185.7

Table 6: Properties of Fibredrain & Brecodrain 4.3 Jute-Coir Pre-Seeded Erosion Control Blanket
(after Banerjee et al. 1997) (PsECB)
Variables (Unit) Fibredrain Brecodrain It has been recommended by Rickson (2003) that for
1. Material Composition preventing loss of soil, it would be desirable to use a product
Sheath Jute Fabric Jute Fabric with a cover which is as close to 100% as possible. This
Core Coir Yarn Coir Yarn observation pointed to the advantage of using nonwoven
2. Width (mm) 92–93 Approx. 100 fabrics. It is also reported that heavy, needle-punched, non-
3. Thickness at 20 kPa (mm) 9.0 10.2 woven jute products are not suitable for vegetation growth. It
4. Weight of material/linear m (g) 136 + 96 260 + 68
is, however, quite conceivable to develop a nonwoven fabric
5. Material strength at 1st break
point
based on the blend of jute and a suitable natural fibre that
a) Strength (kN) 4.5 2-2.4 would lead to a more open and bulky material, permitting
b) Extension % 4–5 5–6 both light and space for growth of vegetation. Considering
6. AOS of Sheath the two aspects of compatibility and availability, coir was
i) O90 (mm) 0.425–0.6 0.3 chosen as the second component. It was decided to explore
7. Permeability at 50 mm water 0.41 0.54 the possibility of trapping suitable seeds in the nonwoven
head and 2 kPa pressure (mm/s) fabric during the process of needle punching itself. Such a
8. Discharge Capacity under 50 13.1 22.0 Pre-seeded Erosion Control Blanket (PsECB) would just
kPa pressure (ml/s) need to be spread on a slope and suitably watered for the

500

seeds to germinate and vegetation to take root. The areal
density (mass per unit area) of the final product was 380
g/m2 (Banerjee, 2004).
5. CONCLUSIONS
In the context of ‘International Year of Natural Fibres
(2009)’ and modernization of infrastructure in India,
utilization of natural fibres in different national schemes is
attracting encouragement. But, there is need to develop
scientific research based new natural geotextile products as
well as their promotion for commercialization. These are the
only routes for the natural product manufacturing industry to
reach the same platform as those already occupied by
synthetic industry.
REFERENCES
A Manual on Use of Jute Geotextiles in Civil Engineering,
(2008). 3rd Ed., JMDC, Kolkata, 59.
Banerjee, P.K., Rao, G.V. and Sampath Kumar, J.P. (1997).
“Characteristics of the Brecodrain for Soft Soil
Consolidation”, Proc. Geosyn. Asia’97, Bangalore, 1: VI.
3–24.
Banerjee, P.K. (2004). “A Strategy for Development of
Geosynthetic Products”, Proc. Geosyn. India 2004:
Geosyn.- New Hor., New Delhi, 377–385.
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