The development of needle-punched nonwovens made from waste milkweed and PET fibers

While petroleum-based products are widely used and affordable, there’s a strong push for biodegradable, eco-friendly materials. Untraditional natural fibers like kapok and milkweed play a key role in sustainability but are more costly than common fibers like cotton. This study maximizes the use of short milkweed fiber leftovers from yarn spinning by blending them with hollow PET fibers to create needle-punched nonwoven fabrics. Tests on thickness, strength, thermal comfort, and permeability showed that milkweed/PET blends improved thermal resistance by up to 34% over PET-only fabrics, demonstrating the potential of milkweed fibers for efficient, insulating nonwovens.

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