Lignin manipulation for fibre improvement

For centuries plant fibres have been used in a number of commercial areas including textiles, construction, paper and pulp, reinforced composites, and as biomass for energy production. These fibres come from a whole host of crops ranging from cotton, jute and flax for textiles; wood crops such as poplar, eucalyptus and conifers for paper and pulp; and cereal crops such as maize, sorghum and barley to provide straw, bedding and animal fodder. In more recent years the popularity of fibre crops in some of these areas has been superseded by synthetic fibres such as those made from plastic or glass. Environmentally, these synthetic fibres are non-renewable and continue to accumulate as sources of pollution. The impact of this pollution has led to a renewed interest in the use of plant fibres as a sustainable commodity for the future.