Cotton is referred to as the queen of fibers. You are likely wearing or wearing some form of cotton. Simply put, cotton is awe-inspiring. We have some amazing facts about cotton today. Cotton is renowned for its versatility and strength.
However cotton is renowned for its softness and toughness. The unique qualities make cotton one of the most frequently used fibers globally.
It’s not solely employed for textiles to make clothes, but it is also used in many other ways. So before we waste your time and energy, let’s get started.
1 What is Cotton?
It is a natural fiber that originates from plants belonging to the Genus ‘Gossypium’. It is possible to identify cotton due to its soft and fluffy structure. It grows on a shell known as a “boll”.
The fiber is mostly cellulose. The boll of cotton bursts to scatter seeds around. There are a variety of cotton species.
2 Humans Have Been Using Cotton for a Long Time
It is interesting to note that cotton has been utilized as fabric since prehistoric times. Archaeologists, for instance, have found remnants of textiles made from cotton dating from the 5000th year BC in the “Indus Valley Civilization”.
Additionally, they have found evidence of similar kinds of cotton found in Peru that date back to 6600 BC. In addition, it is believed that warriors of the Inca civilization used armor constructed from cotton.
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3 Use of Cotton in the Textile Industry
Cotton is among the most vital fibers that is used in textiles. Its applications are limitless. Therefore, here are some ways to use cotton in the textile industry.
- Cotton is essential to the majority of types of clothing, from basic T-shirts to socks and jackets
- It can also be used to create curtains and sheets for bed and pillow covers.
- It is also used for making carpets and rugs.
- We also use cotton for making bags.
- Cotton is also among the most essential elements in creating fine threads
- It is extremely useful for making mosquito nets
- Many make use of cotton to create yarns
- It is also essential for making handkerchiefs, towels shoelaces, handkerchiefs, and so on.
- Many companies use cotton to make denim, robes, cambric, terrycloth for corduroy, underwear, seersucker, etc.
4 The Origin of the Word ‘Cotton’
The English word “Cotton” has originated via the Arabic word ‘Qutun’ or Qutn’. In the medieval era the word ‘Linen’ was used to refer to “Linen”. The word ‘Qutun’, or Qutn was used to mean cotton in Arabic at the time.
Around 1200 AD around 1200 AD, this Arabic word became part of in the Romance language. In the year 1300 AD the word was introduced into English language, and was changed to “Cotton”..
5 There are Other Colors of Cotton
You likely know that cotton comes in white or whitish colors. But, there are different colors of cotton there, too. The majority of wild cotton plants are located throughout Mexico, Africa, and Australia.
The cotton fibers may be shades of green, brown, pink or even chocolate. However, due to the fear of contamination with the genes of white cotton the vibrant cotton isn’t grown on an extensive scale.
6 Cotton is Highly Absorbent
You may notice that the finest quality towels are made of cotton. Why, though? It is because cotton is among the most absorbent materials on the market.
Since cotton fibers are brimming with spaces between the fibers. They can absorb as much as 27 times more water in comparison the weight of their fibers. But, keep in mind that shiny cotton is not as water-absorbing.
7 Most Banknotes are Made Using Cotton
Another interesting use for cotton is the production of banknotes. We all believe that banknotes are created using paper. This isn’t the reality. Because if banknotes were constructed from paper, they wouldn’t be able to use them following a quick shower of water.
To give you an idea, the majority of the nations in the world utilize cotton paper for banknotes. For example, the USA uses a mix with 25 percent linen and 75 percent of cotton for their banknotes. Other countries also use cotton along with other substances like linen, abaca, tallow etc.
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8 Use of Cotton Outside of Textile Industry
We’ve previously discussed the importance to use cotton for textiles. We also are aware that it is the most important material for making textiles. But, it is so adaptable that it has been utilized since antiquity, even outside of in the industry of textiles. Here are a few examples of this…
- Fishing nets
- Filters for coffee
- Automobile tops
- Friction tapes
- Umbrella cloth
- Typewriter ribbons
- Smartphone cover
- Cottonseed is a fantastic feed for cattle
- We can extract oil from cottonseed
- The cottonseed ingredient is utilized in various products, such as cosmetics, rubber industry pharmaceuticals, plastics and other industries.
9 The Longest Cotton Fiber Grown
The most desirable variety of cotton is one that is long and strong in the same time. There are, however, not many species that produce the same type of cotton fiber. The most well-known and longest cotton species include Pima, Egyptian, Sea Island and Sea Island. The average fiber length of this variety of cotton could extend upwards of 1.7 inches.
But, unfortunately, it’s not that easy to grow these kinds of the cotton plant. Because they require a high temperature to develop. The kind of cotton is grown from a specific type of seeds. This is why although these varieties of cotton is huge, however, they aren’t being produced enough.
10 Cotton Gin
We aren’t talking about alcoholic drinks here. “Cotton Gin” is a reference to the “Cotton Engine,” an instrument that is capable of separating the cotton fibers from the seeds in a very short time. This means it will accelerate cotton production compared to manual separation. Incredibly, it was the development of the cotton Gin was a significant step toward making cotton the most popular natural fiber around the world.
There are a variety of cotton gins that are available present. The majority of them were built in the ancient days. They’ve not changed their look in a significant way since they were first introduced. Yet, Eli Whitney, an American inventor, invented a new version of the cotton gin that was mechanical in 1793.
11 A Bale of Cotton
In the USA Cotton is measured in “bales”. What exactly do you mean by a bale? To be clear the bale of cotton weighs approximately 17 cubic feet which is 0.48 cubic meters. In addition, the weight of a single bale of cotton is about 500 pounds. which is 226.8 kg.
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12 Cotton in the Ancient Times
We do not know the actual date of the first cotton. We do are aware that humans have used cotton for more than 7000 years. Cotton was used to make cloths around 3000 BC during the Indus Valley River Valley (Currently Pakistan).
Most of the time the people of Egypt were also wearing clothing composed of cotton. Around 800 AD when cotton was introduced to Europe thanks to Arab merchants. By 1500 AD the popularity of cotton was increasing all over the globe. Numerous civilizations have also utilized cotton for their armor during battles.
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13 Cotton is Hypoallergenic and a Good Conductor of Heat
Cotton has many positive features. One of these can be that it’s natural, hypoallergenic fabric. It doesn’t cause or trigger any allergic reactions. It is also suitable for skin that is sensitive. It is also an excellent thermal conductor.
Due to this characteristic that cotton has can keep us cool in hot weather, while it can be a great way to keep warm during colder temperatures. Due to these attributes it has been the most used fabric for garments all over the globe.
14 All Parts of a Cotton Tree is Useful
facts regarding cotton
It is a plant that is durable. It is also a sustainable plant because every part of a tree made of cotton including boll, flower, and linters as well as the trunk and leaves are able to be utilized. We know the fiber used to create cotton cloth.
The trunk could also be used to make timber. The linters can be utilized to make plastic, explosives and various other products. There isn’t any waste from a cotton tree.
15 Thomas Alva Edison and Cotton
Thomas Alva Edison is a household name for his many inventions, including lighting bulbs. The first lighting bulb made of incandescent was an invention of Edison along with his teams. Incredibly, he utilized cotton to make filaments that were required to make these light bulbs.
16 Cotton Gets Stronger When Wet
In general, all kinds of fibers become weaker when they are wet. However, it’s completely opposite with cotton. The stronger cotton gets the wetter it gets. This is because of the hydrogen atoms that make up water form additional bonds with the atoms of cellulose in cotton. Theoretically, when cotton gets wet, it becomes about 10-20 percent more powerful than when it’s dry.
17 Organic Cotton
In general, there are a lot of bugs that severely damage cotton plants. In order to address that issue, farmers across the globe use chemical products like fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides and more. However, a small number of farmers across the globe are switching to organic agriculture.
They do not use harmful chemicals on their cotton plants and do not make use of genetically modified cotton plants. In short, it is possible to claim that this is 100% pure cotton cultivation. Organic cotton is a great choice for diapers, baby clothing, and tissue.
18 Properties of Cotton
Cotton is a unique material with a variety of qualities. We’ll be talking about them in detail. But, here are the important characteristics of cotton. Let’s take a look at them…
Cotton is extremely comfortable to wear
It can take a while to dry.
Cotton is prone to wrinkle.
It is a fire that is natural.
It is able to absorb a significant amount of water.
The fiber is breathable.
It is resistant to the build-up of static electricity.
It is able to withstand the effects of heat, detergents, and bleach
Long-term exposure to sunlight could cause damage to the fabric of cotton
19 Is Cotton Edible?
Purely the chemical in cotton is called “gossypol”. This is a toxic chemical. Therefore, cotton isn’t food-safe in its purest form. However, thanks to scientists, they have genetically altered a variety of species of cotton to not produce this toxin. Because of this, cotton is an alternative food crop in the present.
20 Cotton in the USA
facts regarding cotton
The USA began cultivating cotton later than other nations around the globe. But, today they’re among the top producers of cotton in comparison to many other countries around the globe. For example, USA USA has produced around 3.99 million tons of cotton between 2018 and 2019.
They are in the 2nd position in the production of cotton after China. In addition, America is known as the biggest exporter of cotton globally because they export 36 percent of all cotton exported in the world.
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21 Uses of Recycled Cotton
It is a great material for recycling. Recycled cotton is made from textile trash, secondhand clothing or even threads or yarns left in the fabric factory. It’s a great method to reduce waste. But it isn’t as durable as the brand-new cotton. Thus, recycled cotton often gets blended with plastic bottles recycled to create clothes and textiles.
The recycled cotton is also utilized as wipers and polishing cloths within the industry. In addition, recycled cotton can also be used to create high-quality papers. It is also used as filler for cushions or insulation in your home or in automobiles. Even if you don’t recycle cotton, it’s not an issue. Because cotton is biodegradable.
22 Countries that Produce the highest quality of cotton
The use of cotton is widespread throughout the world. However, it has certain requirements in relation to temperature and location. Below is a list of nations that produced most quantity of cotton between 2018 and 2019.
The top spot is India with a staggering 5.77 millions (approx.) tonnes
Second is the USA with annual cotton production of approximately 3.99 million tonnes
China is ranked 3rd with an amount of 3.5 million tonnes
Then there is Brazil with around 2.78 million millimetric tons of cotton production
In the 5th position is Pakistan with the highest amount of 1.65 million tonnes of metric tons
23 Cotton Harvesting
Many developed countries, such as those of the USA, Australia, and certain countries in Europe utilize automated equipment for the harvesting of cotton. There are two types of machines for harvesting cotton, including cotton pickers and stripper for cotton. The cotton stripper can take it from the boll and not cause any harm or harm to plants.
The cotton stripper is able to strip all bolls of cotton coming from the plant. This kind of machine is employed in places where the weather is too windy to cultivate different kinds of cotton. However, many countries across the globe employ workers who pick cotton by hand.
24 Cotton Has Various Species
You might be thinking there is only one kind that cotton plants can be found. This isn’t the case in any way. In fact there are 45 varieties of cotton. However, not all are commercially produced. There are four main kinds of cotton plants can be commercially grown across the globe. Examples include:
Gossypiumhirsutum: This variety of cotton accounts for 90% of global production of cotton. It is indigenous to Mexico, America, the Caribbean and the southern part of Florida
Gossypium arboreum It is a distinctive kind of cotton. Its name also knows it of tree cotton. It is indigenous to India as well as Pakistan
Gossypium barbadense specific cotton species is well-known for their length that is extra long the fiber. They are indigenous to South America
Gossypium herbaceum: Finally we have Levant cotton. It is indigenous to Arabian peninsula and southern Africa
25 Cotton is on the Moon
facts regarding cotton
We are all aware that cotton is found all over this planet Earth. But did you know that it’s also found in the Moon? Interestingly, one of China’s spacecrafts named “Chang’e4” has taken cotton seeds and landed on the opposite lunar side.
According to China the cottonseed of this batch was sprouting on 15 January 2019. At present, the seeds are in an encapsulation inside the Chang’e 4 spacecraft in the Von Karman Crater of the moon.
Cotton isn’t a brand new product. It’s been around throughout the world for quite a while. Also, people from the past produced cotton and used it for satisfying their different demands.
Today the significance of cotton in the human world is not diminishing in any way. Researchers are working in the field of genetically modified cotton in order to increase its valuable than it was previously. We hope that they’ll succeed in the next couple of years.
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