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Fibertect®, a decontamination technology developed by researchers at Texas Tech University, was one of seven new innovations selected by Cotton Incorporated to show the versatility of the fiber. To view Fibertect and the other innovations highlighted by Cotton Incorporated, click here.
In 2005, Seshadri Ramkumar and his team at the Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech leveraged the absorbent capabilities of cotton to create the Fibertect wipe, which can absorb and neutralize gases and liquids that might be used in chemical warfare. The process has received a patent and has been validated for use as a low-cost decontamination wipe for the U.S. military. (First Line Technology commercially distributes Fibertect, manufactured by Hobbs Bonded Fibers Inc.) Fibertect’s qualities were also re-engineered to create a better absorbent material to pick up the “chocolate mousse” oil slicks inundating Gulf Coast beaches following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Kater Hake, vice president of agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Incorporated, said that cotton has been essentially a source of textile fiber for six millennia. However, creative organizations such as Texas Tech are evolving the use of cotton and, in the process, its future.
For more information on Fibertect products from First Line Technology, visit www.firstlinetech.com.