Cotton is a fiber, it is a white, soft, fluffy plant that grows in a protective case. Cotton is one of the most popular agricultural crops. It is used for a variety of things found in our daily lives. The chemical formula for cotton is C6H1005, it is a solid, cotton does not stress easily, it has a moderately high fiber strength, when wet it’s strength is even higher. Processed cotton is mostly cellulose which are made of glucose molecules, it contains polar and non-polar intramolecular covalent bonds, in cellulose there are hydrogen intermolecular bonds, that can be found in hydroxyl groups. There are also London Dispersion bonds present around all molecules, polar or non polar.
What makes cotton innovative based on it’s chemistry?
Cotton is an innovative and useful material because of it’s ability to retain water and it’s fiber strength, it’s ability to retain water so well is due to it’s chemistry. Processed cotton fibers are 99 percent cellulose. Cellulose is a polymer composed of a long chain of connected glucose molecules that each contains three hyrodoxol groups with slight negative charge. Water has a slightly positive charge (the oxygen atom draws in the two hydrogen atoms’ electrons). The water molecules are attracted to, and bond with hydroxol groups in cotton because of the hydrogen bonds. A cotton fiber is like a tiny tube formed with six different layers. As individual cotton fibers grow on the plant, the inside of the tube is filled with living cells. Once the fiber matures and the cotton boll opens up to reveal its puffy white contents, these cells dry up and the fiber partially collapses, leaving behind a hollow bean-shaped canal, or ‘lumen’. This empty space holds lots of water. Cotton cellulose differs from wood cellulose primarily by having a higher degree of polymerization and crystallinity. Crystallinity indicates that the fiber molecules are closely packed and parallel to one another, the average crystallinity of the cellulose fibers cotton, viscose rayon and wood pulp. Higher degree of polymerization and crystallinity are associated with higher fiber strengths. So because of it’s chemistry, cotton is able to attract and retain water and has high fiber strength. (take out this sentence, its repetitive) or write (therefore cotton is …. Because of it’s chemistry)
What does cotton do in our world today?
Cotton, and the use of cotton is very prevalent in our world today. Cotton is the most used natural fiber, it is primarily used to make cloth. It is also used to make food, clothing, plastics, paper products, fishnets, coffee filters, book binding, and archival paper. The fiber of cotton can be woven into multiple fabrics, (mainly used for clothing) (velvet, corduroy, chambray, velour, jersey, and flannel). Different parts of cotton have different uses, cotton seed is crushed to make oil and fed to cattle. Linters, the short fibers remaining on the see after it goes through the cotton fin are used to produce bandages, bank notes, cotton buds, and even x-rays. (add societal, economical factors)
Is cotton environmentally responsible? (evaluate its use)
Cotton does a lot of damage to the environment around it and can have many negative environmental impacts, but it is used very efficiently. Cotton cultivation severely degrades soil quality. Despite the global area devoted to cotton cultivation remaining constant for the past 70 years, cotton production has depleted and degraded the soil in many areas. Most cotton is grown on well-established fields, but their exhaustion leads to expansion into new areas and the attendant destruction of habitat. Production procedures for cotton involve the application of substantial fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticides threaten the quality of soil and water, as well as the health of biodiversity in and downstream from the fields. Heavy use of pesticides also raises concern for the health of farm workers and nearby populations. Runoff of pesticides, fertilizers, and minerals from cotton fields contaminates rivers, lakes, wetlands, and underground aquifers. These pollutants affect biodiversity directly by immediate toxicity or indirectly through long-term accumulation. Production and processing of cotton uses a large amount of water. Some experts contend that cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities. Surface and ground waters are often diverted to irrigate cotton fields, leading to freshwater loss through evaporation, and inefficient water management. Despite this the area that is used to grow cotton has not expanded in the past decade, and cotton is used to make many of the products we use in our daily lives.(don’t think u need this sentence)
Cotton does effect the balance between environmental stewardship and innovation, cotton can be used to make a lot o things we see in our daily lives, cotton rarely has to expand it’s growing territory and as the world’s most common crop it has great economic benefits. Since it is so common it is very cheap, this is how it enters our daily lives and helps the world in many ways. Many people have more cotton than they know in their own homes, whether it be clothes, cotton balls, or diapers. Without cotton we would be at a loss for many things we take for granted day to day. Due to it’s chemical makeup, cotton can lead to innovation and help us develop new products for a cheap price. Cotton is also antiallergenic so it is safe and healthy for most. In conclusion cotton does effect the environment but it does not have a catastrophic effect, cotton’s usefulness and versatility in everyone’s life far outweighs the environmental effects.
Will my new knowledge impact my decision making when purchasing products?
Because of the knowledge I have gained during this project (The knowledge I have gained during this project allows me to… I will be more mindful when buying cotton products because I know how the growth of cotton effects the environment. I will try not to buy as many clothes or products in general. I will still continue to buy products with cotton however (don’t need this) because despite it’s detriments to the environment the growing of cotton is very effective and one bale of cotton can be used to make many varieties of (don’t need) different things. I also now have new insight into uses of cotton, such as I found out is (delete this) it’s a very absorbent and strong fiber. This will make me think about how to use cotton in my daily life, such as taking it camping, because it is durable. But thinking about how not to use cotton when looking for something quick dry or when trying to stay dry.