Fire hazards may be tamed easier as an Egypt-based spinning specialist has introduced a line of flame-retardant (FR) spun yarns based on extra-long staple Egyptian Giza cotton blend named Giza-Protect.
The FR yarn offers flame-retardancy and heat resistance with the natural softness and comfort of Egyptian cotton with no deterioration in flame retardancy after repeated washing or normal use over time. It is suitable for multiple applications in protective clothing and industrial workwear.
The Alexandria-based Mediterranean Textile Company (MTC) has been reinventing Giza cotton to expand its market possibilities, competitiveness and relevance to emerging market trends, and the environmental credentials of this new line of FR yarns are said to be enhanced through the use of natural fibre such as cotton, “which is responsibly grown and processed."
The new yarn: This new yarn is one example of the future range of MTC yarns, which is put forward to demonstrate the versatility of Egyptian Giza cotton. The yarn is now available for commercial supply and it is said to be available in regular ring spun, compact and core spun yarn, in various blends of antistatic fibre ratio, in a wide range of counts Ne 5 – 100.
“Giza-Protect demonstrates how this amazing fibre can continuously adapt to new market needs and trends. We see it as an opportunity to expand the reach of Egyptian cotton in new avenues that were never explored in the past,” said MTC managing director Harald Westphal.
Giza-Protect is the product of an extensive R&D programme that was conducted in partnership between MTC and Egypt-based textile research company Intexive. The R&D programme was focused on developing a cotton blend yarn that possesses permanent FR functionality and has the ability to self-extinguish when the flame source is removed. This new yarn does not even melt or form droplets.
“We have been working on this project for the past 2 years. We have done stringent testing of woven fabrics from Giza-Protect yarns at The Textile Industry Research Association (AITEX) in Spain, and the yarn satisfies numerous FR standards around the world for technical fabrics for protective clothing, including EN 11612, EN 11611, EN 1149 and EN 64182,” said the Intexive managing partner Mohamad Midani.
