Seshadri Ramkumar, Texas Tech University, USA
Wellgro United in collaboration with Jayalakshmi Textiles released indigenously developed biodegradable oil sorbent and industrial high-tech wipe. This scribe has worked with the two Indian companies in developing the green product. Greater awareness of plastic pollution, more importantly, the release of micro plastic beads from synthetic products such as kitchen wipes has put pressure on textile and nonwoven companies to replace synthetics as much as possible in single-use wipes. The two Indian companies have partnered and worked closely with this scribe in launching the product to the marketplace today.
Most of the commercial oil sorbents today are polypropylene based meltblown and thermal bonded products that can release micro plastics into the environment. The wipe released today is highly biodegradable and will be devoid of polypropylene, making it a unique product to solve important environmental problems. Aruppukottai-based Jayalakshmi Textiles is a successful cotton spinning entity with 70,000 spindles and is an established presence in the cotton sector. Chennai-based Wellgro United is specialized in value-added industrial textile products such as oil absorbents.
“We have used our experience in manufacturing cotton products to develop probably the first ‘Made-in India,’ biodegradable oil absorbent wipe. The collaboration with Wellgro United has enabled us to focus our attention on industrial textile products,” stated Shanmugam Velmurugan, general manager of Jayalakshmi Textiles. “Wellgro United is excited to work with Jayalakshmi Textiles and Texas Tech University’s Professor Seshadri Ramkumar to release the first indigenously manufactured biodegradable oil absorbent wipe,” stated Nambisrinivasan of Wellgro United.
This scribe has been advocating the concept of diversification in the Indian conventional textile sector to develop technical textiles with minimum additional investments. The launch of biodegradable high-tech wipe is a good example to showcase the successful collaboration between a spinning industry and a high-tech start-up. Textile sector needs the infusion of ideas to develop technical textiles. “Jayalakshmi Textiles has focused on its textile strength, to launch a value-added industrial product,” stated Rengasamy Mohankumar of Jayalakshmi Textiles, who has been involved in the product development. Product launch details available at:
